This World Obesity Day, we hosted our Spotlight Series, featuring expert speakers across biology, weight stigma, treatment, policy, and lived experience. Across five days, the series explored how obesity affects individuals, families, communities, and health systems—and how it is shaped by a complex mix of biology, environment, policy, and social factors.
By 2035, around half of the world’s population—approximately 4 billion people—are projected to be living with overweight or obesity. Poverty, stigma, unequal access to healthcare, limited availability of healthy food, and environments that do not support healthy living all influence risk and outcomes.
Speakers highlighted why understanding the biological drivers of weight, addressing systemic stigma, improving access to evidence-based care, and creating supportive policies are essential to improving health outcomes. The series also centred lived experience, demonstrating why real-world perspectives must shape solutions.
The series concluded with a final talk from our Director, Tim Gill, on the importance of collective action. He reflected on the key insights from the week and reinforced a simple but urgent truth: obesity affects all of us, and meaningful progress requires informed, coordinated, and compassionate effort across communities, health systems, and governments.
World Obesity Day 2026 is a call to action for all 8 billion of us. By prioritising evidence-based care, centring lived experience, and ensuring equitable systems and policies, we can change the trajectory for everyone—and create a world where health is shaped by opportunity, not inequity.
Watch the full Spotlight Series
