Obesity rates have increased 82 percent worldwide over the past two decades, according to the World Health Organization.

(Flicker/colros)

A new analysis of global health data shows that the years of life lost from obesity outnumber those lost by hunger.

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A Sudanese girl looks after her malnourished brother earlier this year.

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Data from the World Health Organization’s Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 was unveiled late last week and will be published in The Lancet.

The study reveals that obesity rates have increased 82 percent worldwide over the past two decades. It’s now a problem in all countries except for those in sub-Saharan Africa.

Obesity and its associated complications produce health burdens higher than those caused by hunger, CNN reported.

The data does, however, point to impressive progress against malnutrition and infectious diseases, especially in children.

“Kids who used to die from infectious disease are now doing extremely well with immunization,” Ali Mokdad, co-author of the study and professor of global health the University of Washington, told CNN.

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