Almost 60 percent of Saudi Arabia’s adult population are either overweight or obese, according to the latest figures revealed ahead of World Obesity Day - but the Kingdom still fairs better than its GCC neighbors.

According to the Global Obesity Observatory, 20.2 percent of people in the Kingdom are classed as obese – having a Body Mass Index (a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) over 30 - while a further 38.2 percent are classed as overweight (a BMI over 25).

However, Saudi Arabia has the least prevalence of obesity in the GCC.

Kuwait has the highest prevalence – with almost 80 percent of its population overweight or obese – followed by Bahrain (72.4 percent), Qatar (70.1 percent), the UAE (67.9 percent) and Oman (66.2 percent).

When it comes to children, 10.5 percent of the under-18 population in Saudi Arabia is either overweight or obese, compared to half (49.5 percent) of children in Kuwait.