A majority of Israelis aged 20-64 are overweight or obese, according to a new study published Sunday morning by the National Institute for Health Policy Research.
About 62% of men and 55% of women are overweight or obese, the study found.
Obesity rates are also on the rise. About 25% of women in Israel and about 22.3% of men suffer from obesity.
The report also found a correlation between obesity and low socioeconomic status. Almost 26% of men from low socioeconomic backgrounds are obese, compared to 17% from high socioeconomic backgrounds.
The gaps are greater among women, with 35% of women from low socioeconomic backgrounds suffering from obesity compared to just 15.5% of women from high socioeconomic backgrounds.
Israel's obesity statistics are in line with those of other OECD nations, which is on average 24%.
Despite the rise in adult obesity, there has been a decline in child obesity from 8% in 2017 to 7% in 2018.
Other data from the report indicate that about one fifth of the adult population in Israel smokes. In 2018, 27% of men and 12% of women in Israel smoked. For men of high socioeconomic status, the rate of smokers in Israel is higher than the average in the OECD countries, which stands at about 18%.