Obesity is silently crushing Pakistan’s economy, costing the country an estimated $3.41 billion annually — over Rs950 billion — and threatening to double to $7.6 billion (Rs2.13 trillion) by 2030 if urgent measures are not taken, health experts warned on Saturday.
Citing data from the World Obesity Federation at an awareness session held at the National Press Club (NPC) Islamabad, senior endocrinologists and public health officials described obesity as both a national health emergency and a major economic liability.
The experts said the financial toll stems from increased public and private healthcare expenditures, rising absenteeism, reduced workplace productivity, and premature deaths caused by obesity-related complications.
The escalating burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular ailments, fatty liver, and kidney disorders — all linked to excess body weight — is draining vital national resources while shrinking the country’s productive labor force.
An alarming picture emerged from a free screening camp conducted at NPC in collaboration with Getz Pharma, where around 150 journalists and their family members were tested. More than 70 percent were found to be overweight or obese, while 25 percent showed signs of diabetes and elevated blood pressure.
Experts termed these findings a wake-up call for all sectors of society, especially policymakers.
Renowned endocrinologist Prof. Rauf Niazi said 70 to 80 percent of Pakistanis, including children, now fall in the overweight or obese category. He blamed the crisis on the unchecked consumption of carbohydrate-laden diets, processed snacks, sugary drinks, and junk food, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle.
“Obesity is not only making men impotent and women infertile due to PCOS, but is also the leading cause of early diabetes, strokes, heart attacks, and kidney damage through metabolic changes,” he warned.
Prof. Niazi further revealed that over 85 percent of the population may already be suffering from fatty liver disease — a dangerous, often unnoticed condition that disrupts cholesterol metabolism, triggers inflammation, and elevates cardiovascular risk.
“It’s a time bomb. People remain unaware until it’s too late,” he said, urging a return to simpler, healthier lifestyles. “The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had a flat belly, ate less, walked regularly, swam, and exercised with Hazrat Ali. That’s the example we need to follow,” he stressed.
Dr. Mumtaz Ali Khan, Chief of Communicable Disease Control at the National Institute of Health (NIH), said Pakistanis are aging at an accelerated rate due to obesity and poor lifestyle habits.
“Most individuals screened at NPC were biologically at least ten years older than their actual age. We’re becoming an old, diseased nation far too early,” he said.
As a pediatrician, he expressed grave concern over rising childhood obesity, pointing to screen addiction, processed food, and lack of physical activity. “We mistakenly equate fat with healthy in children. That mindset is dangerous.”
Dr. Muhammad Ali Arif, an endocrinologist at PIMS Islamabad, called for fiscal and policy interventions.
“White sugar, bakery items, sugary drinks, and ultra-processed foods must be heavily taxed. These are not nutritional necessities but are being consumed in alarming amounts,” he said.
