These are the most obese countries in the world

A recent study showed that 700m people across the world are obese. These maps show obesity levels around the world - with red showing countries with the highest proportion of people classified as obese and green having the lowest proportion.

The graphics were created by Clinic Compare using data from the CIA's World Factbook and show that obesity is a problem affecting every continent.

Interestingly, although countries in North America and Europe appear prominent on the global map owing to their size, the countries with the biggest obesity problems are almost exclusively found in the Pacific Islands - with American Samoa (74.6 per cent of the population), Nauru (71.1 per cent) and Cook Islands (63.7 per cent) making up the top three.

The UK is 43rd on the list with 27 per cent of the population being classified as obese while the US is 18th with 33 per cent.

The top 10 most obese countries

Africa

Asia and the Middle East

Central America

Europe

North America

South America

More: The global obesity epidemic in four maps