More than 50% of adults in China are overweight for the first time, with rising inactive lifestyles among the country’s growing middle class, according to the official report released on Wednesday.

As China has experienced rapid economic growth in recent decades that profoundly changed eating habits, massively popular online food delivery apps made calorie-rich meals available on cheaper rates to the residents at all hours.

According to a National Health Commission report published on Wednesday, more than half of the Chinese adults are overweight for the first time, out of which 16.4% are considered obese.

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That proportion is nearly double the 29% of adults classified as overweight or obese in 2002.

Children in the country are also having weight issues with 20% of 6 to 17-year-olds now heavier than the healthy limit compared to 16% in 2012.

Being overweight is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.

The worst-affected country in Asia remains Malaysia, where around 65% are overweight or obese, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2019.

Adult obesity is on the rise across the world, in both prosperous regions as well as areas where people are bound to consume unhealthy food.