It is one of the most remote islands in the world, with picturesque beaches, golden sand and even an underground lake.
But the Pacific island of Nauru isn’t at the top of the list just because it’s one of the most luxurious holiday destinations.
Because data suggests that it is actually the world’s fattest country.
Almost nine out of ten people on the island, a four and a half hour flight from Brisbane, are overweight.
Vietnam, on the other hand, has the honor of being the slimmest nation.
The latest global study found that just 18.3 percent of the Southeast Asian country’s population was overweight or obese.
A fascinating interactive map published by Our World in Data, which MailOnline app users can view by clicking here, illustrates the huge gap in obesity rates.
The data comes from a compilation of figures from 195 countries worldwide in 2016.
It showed that more than a third – or 39 percent – of adults worldwide were overweight or obese.
Figures also show that around 64 per cent of Britons and 68 per cent of Americans are obese.
The statistics come from the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, which recorded global trends of 128.9 million people between 1975 and 2016.
It looked at body mass data, specifically the number of people who were underweight, overweight or obese.
According to data published by Our World in Data, no country saw a decline in obesity rates during this period.
All ten fattest countries in the world were found in the Pacific, with the island of Palau reporting the second highest percentage of overweight or obese adults at 85.1 percent.
Next come the Cook Islands, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu with 84.7 percent, 83.5 percent and 81.9 percent respectively.
Outside the Pacific, Kuwait reported a rate of 73.4 percent, ranking 11th.
In the ranking of 195 countries, the USA was 15th, Australia 25th and the UK 30th.
Nauru, the third smallest country in the world, had the highest percentage of adults who were obese or overweight at 88.5 percent. Pictured above, Buada Lagoon in Nauru
Vietnam had the lowest rates of obesity and overweight adults in the world at just 18.3 percent. Pictured above, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
A BMI (body mass index) of at least 25 is considered overweight, and an adult with a BMI of 30 or more is considered obese.
The BMI of a healthy person – calculated from the weight in kg divided by the height in meters and the result in turn by the height – is between 18.5 and 24.9.
Obesity is a risk factor for several of the world’s leading causes of death, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and various types of cancer.
Type 2 diabetes, which is linked to obesity, can also lead to complications such as heart disease, vision loss and kidney problems.
According to The Lancet’s 2017 Global Burden of Disease study, 4.7 million people died prematurely from obesity in 2017.
In the UK, obesity and related diseases cost the NHS an estimated £6.1 billion a year and this cost will rise to more than £9.7 billion a year by 2050.
It is also thought to be responsible for more than 30,000 deaths in the UK each year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that obesity costs the US health care system nearly $173 billion annually.
According to Our World in Data, 13 percent of adults aged 18 and over worldwide were obese in 2016.
In comparison, India reported the second lowest proportion at 19.7 percent, along with Vietnam, which recorded the lowest number of overweight or obese people.
Bangladesh is the third least overweight country in the world at exactly 20.0 percent.
In most high-income countries, about two-thirds of adults were overweight or obese.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
