The whole world is flat-out fat.

• Position: Your Life - Brief article

More than 1,900,000,000 people worldwide are overweight, a 25% increase since 2002, an analysis by the Worldwatch Institute, Washington, D.C., reveals. A survey of statistics in 177 countries shows 38% of those 15 years or older are overweight. The trend is correlated strongly to rising income and an increase in preventable health problems, writes researcher Richard H. Weil.

"Overweight" is defined as individuals with a body mass index of 25 or greater. A person with a BMI of 30 or above usually is labeled "obese:' but here the term overweight covers overweight and obese populations combined.

Some 75% of people in the 10 richest countries are overweight, while in the 10 poorest, 18% are. The U.S. leads all...