According to the Brazilian Government, the most serious health problems are:

- Childhood mortality: about 1.51% of childhood mortality, reaching 2.77% in the northeast region.

- Motherhood mortality: about 42.1 deaths per 100,000 born children in 2016.

- Mortality by non-transmissible illness: 65.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants caused by heart and circulatory diseases, along with 26.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants caused by cancer.

- Mortality caused by external causes (transportation, violence and suicide): 55.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants (10.9% of all deaths in the country), reaching 62.3 deaths in the southeast region.

In 2002, Brazil accounted for 40% of malaria cases in the Americas. Nearly 99% are concentrated in the Legal Amazon Region, which is home to not more than 12% of the population.

Obesity in Argentina is a growing health concern with health officials stating that it is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the Argentina. According to FAO/UNO, the prevalence of obesity among adults in Argentina was of 29.4% in 2008.

Obesity in Saudi Arabia is a growing health concern with health officials stating that it is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in Saudi Arabia. According to "Forbes", Saudi Arabia ranks 29 on a 2007 list of the fattest countries with a percentage of 68.3% of its citizens being overweight (BMI>25). Compounding the problem, according to a presentation at the 3rd International Obesity Conference in February 2014, is that obesity-related surgeries are not covered under Saudi healthcare.

Obesity in North Africa and the Middle East is a notable health issue. In 2005, the World Health Organization measured that 1.6 billion people were overweight and 400 million were obese. It estimates that by the year 2015, 2.3 billion people will be overweight and 700 million will be obese. The Middle East, including the Arabian Peninsula, Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey and Iran, and North Africa, are no exception to the worldwide increase in obesity. Subsequently, some call this trend the New World Syndrome. The lifestyle changes associated with the discovery of oil and the subsequent increase in wealth is one contributing factor.

Urbanization has occurred rapidly and has been accompanied by new technologies that promote sedentary lifestyles. Due to accessibility of private cars, television, and household appliances, the population as a whole is engaging in less physical activity. The rise in caloric and fat intake in a region where exercise is not a defining part of the culture has added to the overall increased percentages of overweight and obese populations. In addition, women are more likely to be overweight or obese due to cultural norms and perceptions of appropriate female behavior and occupations inside and outside of the home.

Obesity in Austria has been increasingly cited as a major health issue in recent years. Forty per cent of Austrians between 18 and 65 are considered overweight while eleven per cent of those overweight meet the definition of obesity. Forbes.com ranks Austria as the 52nd fattest country in the World with a rate of 57.1%. Approximately 900,000 people are considered overweight or obese.

According to 2007 statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), Australia has the third-highest prevalence of overweight adults in the English-speaking world.Obesity in Australia is an "epidemic" with "increasing frequency." "The Medical Journal of Australia" found that obesity in Australia more than doubled in the two decades preceding 2003, and the unprecedented rise in obesity has been compared to the same health crisis in America. The rise in obesity has been attributed to poor eating habits in the country closely related to the availability of fast food since the 1970s, sedentary lifestyles and a decrease in the labour workforce.

Obesity in China is a major health concern according to the WHO, with overall rates of obesity below 5% in the country, but greater than 20% in some cities. This is a dramatic change from times when China experienced famine as a result from ineffective agriculturalization plans such as the Great Leap Forward.

Currently, obesity in China is mostly confined to the cities where fast food culture and globalization have taken over, in comparison to poorer rural areas. Despite this concentration of obesity, the sheer size of China's population means that over one fifth of all one billion obese people in the world come from China.

Obesity in Germany has been increasingly cited as a major health issue in recent years. The federal government has declared this to be a major issue.

Data released by the World Health Organisation in 2014 showed that while an issue of growing concern, within the European Union, Germany had a lower incidence of overweight and obese adults as a percentage of the total population at 54.8% in comparison with France at 60.7%, Spain at 60.9% or the United Kingdom at 63.4%.

Obesity in Italy has been increasingly cited as a major health issue in recent years.

Overall, the Italians, along with the French and the Swiss, are considered among the slimmest people in Europe on average. In Europe, Italy was the only country where the average weight dropped.

Obesity in Mexico is a relatively recent phenomenon, having been widespread since the 1980s with the introduction of processed food into much of the Mexican food market. Prior to that, dietary issues were limited to under and malnutrition, which is still a problem in various parts of the country. Following trends already ongoing in other parts of the world, Mexicans have been foregoing traditional whole grains and vegetables in favor of a diet with more animal products, more fat, and more sugar much of which is a consequence of processed food. It has seen dietary energy intake and rates of overweight and obese people rise with seven out of ten at least overweight and a third clinically obese.

Obesity in Pakistan is a health issue that has attracted concern only in the past few years. Urbanisation and an unhealthy, energy-dense diet (the high presence of oil and fats in Pakistani cooking), as well as changing lifestyles, are among the root causes contributing to obesity in the country. According to a list of the world's "fattest countries" published on "Forbes", Pakistan is ranked 165 (out of 194 countries) in terms of its overweight population, with 22.2% of individuals over the age of 15 crossing the threshold of obesity. This ratio roughly corresponds with other studies, which state one-in-four Pakistani adults as being overweight.

Research indicates that people living in large cities in Pakistan are more exposed to the risks of obesity as compared to those in the rural countryside. Women also naturally have higher rates of obesity as compared to men. Pakistan also has the highest percentage of people with diabetes in South Asia.

According to one study, "fat" is more dangerous for South Asians than for Caucasians because the fat tends to cling to organs like the liver instead of the skin.

Obesity in Nauru is a major health concern for the nation. In 2007 Forbes.com reported that, according to the World Health Organization's (WHO) latest estimate, Nauru has the highest percentage of overweight inhabitants among all countries. The estimation identified 94.5% of its residents as overweight. The obesity rate is 71.7%, the highest in the world. The definition of "overweight" and "obesity" are based on body mass index (BMI). People with BMI more than or equal to 25 are classified as overweight, and people with BMI more than or equal to 30 are classified as obese.

The average body weight among Nauruans is estimated to be approximately . Nauru has an average BMI between 34 and 35.

A lack of exercise is a cause of obesity. A study showed that children only got 30 minutes of exercise instead of the hour that is required. Proper skeletal development, muscle building, heart and circulation are among the benefits of exercising during childhood.

Until the late 20th century, dietary issues in Mexico were solely a question of undernutrition or malnutrition, generally because of poverty and distribution issues. For this reason, obesity was associated with wealth and health, the latter especially in children. Despite changes in the Mexican diet and food distribution, malnutrition still remains problematic in various parts of the country.

Obesity in Greece is a growing health concern with health officials stating that it is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in Greece.

The life expectancy of the Brazilian population increased from 71.16 years in 1998 to 76.2 years in 2016, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The data indicate a significant progress compared with 55.50 years in 1940. According to the IBGE, Brazil will need some time to catch up with Japan, Hong Kong (China), Switzerland, Iceland, Australia, France and Italy, where the average life expectancy is already over 81. Research has shown that Brazil would achieve that level by 2030.

Demographic projections foresee the continuation of this process, estimating a life expectancy in Brazil around 77.4 years in 2020. The decline in mortality at young ages and the increase in longevity, combined with the decline of fecundity and the accentuated increase of degenerative chronic diseases, caused a rapid process of demographic and epidemiologic transition, imposing a new public health agenda in the face of the complexity of the new morbidity pattern.

The medical condition of being overweight or obesity is defined as "abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health". It is measured through the Body Mass Index (BMI), defined as a person's weight, in kilograms, divided by the square of the person's height, in meters. If an individual has a BMI of 25–29, he or she is overweight. Having a BMI of 30 or more means an individual is obese. The greater the BMI, the greater the risk of chronic diseases as a result of obesity. These diseases include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, cancer, and premature death.

Stunted growth, also known as stunting and nutritional stunting, is a reduced growth rate in human development. It is a primary manifestation of malnutrition (or more precisely undernutrition) and recurrent infections, such as diarrhea and helminthiasis, in early childhood and even before birth, due to malnutrition during fetal development brought on by a malnourished mother. The definition of stunting according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) is for the "height for age" value to be less than two standard deviations of the WHO Child Growth Standards median.

As of 2012 an estimated 162 million children under 5 years of age, or 25%, were stunted in 2012. More than 90% of the world's stunted children live in Africa and Asia, where respectively 36% and 56% of children are affected. Once established, stunting and its effects typically become permanent. Stunted children may never regain the height lost as a result of stunting, and most children will never gain the corresponding body weight. Living in an environment where many people defecate in the open due to lack of sanitation, is an important cause of stunted growth in children, for example in India.

“Mongrel complex" ("Complexo de vira-Lata" in Portuguese) is an expression used to refer to a collective inferiority complex felt by some Brazilian people in comparison to Europe or the United States. The reference to a "mongrel" (as opposed to "pure-bred") carries negative connotations attributed to most Brazilians being racially mixed as well as a perception of lacking cultural refinement.

The cause of the outbreak was determined to be the addition of excessive doses of copper sulfate to the water supply of Solomon Dam to target a cyanobacteria bloom of "Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii". The excessive dosing was following the use of least-cost contractors to control the algae, who were unqualified in the field.

Toxins from the cyanobacteria itself had also been described as a possible cause.

Early suggestions included Toxocariasis.

Symptoms of hepatoenteritis included diarrhoea, vomiting attacks, loss of balance and disorientation.

The perinatal effects of cyanobacteria contamination of drinking water include prematurity, low birth weight and congenital defects detected at birth. In 1996 there were 63 deaths attributed to drinking water contamination in Caruaru, Brazil.

Obesity in Ukraine is a health issue in Ukraine. Overall, 53% are considered overweight and 20% meet the definition of obesity. The Donetsk and Poltava regions are considered the ""thickest"(most overweight) and Crimea is considered to have the least number of fat people. The lack of a healthy diet has been cited as a cause of obesity.

Obesity in Switzerland has been increasingly cited as a major health issue in recent years, although the country had the lowest rate of obesity in Europe in 2015. 14.9% of the adult population had a body mass index of 30 or more.

The canton of Zurich is considered the most unfit canton in Switzerland. The people who are considered unfit in that canton are mostly located in its largest city, Zurich. People from Zurich tend to be less active compared to people in the countryside.

Swiss women are considered much slimmer than Germans. Twenty-nine per cent of Swiss women are considered to be overweight.

The percentage of overweight Ukrainians is at 53% of the population and the percentage of Ukrainians who meet the definition of obese is 20%. Statistics show that Ukrainians continue to gain weight. Doctors claim that the regions with the ""thickest Ukrainians"" are Donetsk and Poltava regions. Crimea is considered ""the most slender region of the country"" The percentage of overweight people in Crimea is 49,7% and the percentage of people who meet the definition of obesity is 12,3%.

Obesity rates in Italian two-year-olds are the highest in Europe with a rate of 42%. Causes are lack of a Mediterranean diet and lifestyle choices such as exercise and getting enough sleep.