Overview
- The World Obesity Atlas 2025 estimates that about 30% of Peruvian adults have obesity and that 73% of Peruvians live with overweight or obesity.
- Childhood excess weight is widespread, reaching roughly 38% nationally in Peru and above 44% in Lima, with Argentina reporting levels exceeding 40% in children and adolescents.
- Experts characterize obesity as a chronic disease shaped by ultraprocessed diets, sedentary living, genetic and biological predispositions, mental health, and the broader social environment.
- Stigma continues to deter care, and clinicians note that only around 10% of Peruvians who need pharmacologic therapies are estimated to receive them.
- The disease drives major comorbidities including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, fatty liver, musculoskeletal disorders, and certain cancers.