At a time when the world is moving towards promoting healthy lifestyles to fight diseases, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of the spread of obesity in Europe and its transformation into a pandemic.

One frequently used measure of obesity all over the world is Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI = kg/m2 where kg is a person's weight in kilograms and m2 is their height in meters squared. A BMI of 25.0 or more is overweight, while the healthy range is 18.5 to 24.9. BMI applies to most adults aged between 18 and 65.

According to the World Obesity website (Worldobesity.org), here are the countries with highest obesity rates among adults:

1. Nauru (59.85 percent)

2. American Samoa (58.75 percent)

3. Cook Islands (53.97 percent)

4. Palau (53.15 percent)

5. Marshall Islands (49.85%)

As for Arab countries, here are the five countries with the highest obesity rates:

1. Kuwait (34.28 percent)

2. Qatar (33.46 percent)

3. Saudi Arabia (31.73 percent)

4. Jordan (29.17 percent)

5. The United Arab Emirates (28.44 percent)