The World Health Organization has warned about the alarming rate of childhood obesity, especially for those under five, with Greece occupying sixth place on the list of 198 nations.
As reported by the British newspaper "Daily Mail", the international organisation concluded that Greece is among the countries with the highest percentage of obese children under five.
According to the WHO report, 14.6% of Greek children under the age of 5 have much more weight than normal, based on data collected by scientists in 2022.
The findings of the international organisation also showed that more than 37 million children around the world are classified as overweight, that is four million more than at the beginning of our century.
Libya has the negative lead in overweight children under 5 with a rate of 28.7%. This means that almost three out of ten children in this age group are overweight in the African country.
Australia recorded the second-highest rate: More than a fifth of children this age (21.8%) are quite overweight. It is followed by Tunisia, Egypt and Papua New Guinea which recorded percentages of 19%, 18.8% and 16% respectively.
Britain ranks 22nd, while the US ranks 52nd in the list of 198 countries, whose figures were put under the microscope.
Last year, 12.1% of five-year-olds in the UK were overweight and 10.1% were obese. In the US, 12.7% of children aged two to five were obese, with no data available for overweight.
Childhood obesity has been a very serious health problem in recent years, which is largely due to the easy access to "fast food", the sedentary lifestyle at home by spending many hours in front of the TV and computer screen.
Coupled with a lack of physical activity, children's weight is increasing at an alarming rate with pediatricians sounding the alarm as obesity is linked to diseases such as diabetes and cancer.
The World Health Organisation warns that the situation with overweight and obese young children is headed in the wrong direction and shows no signs of reversing the situation.
The countries around the world with the most overweight children under the age of 5
Libya tops the ranking with a rate of 28.7%, as the British publication comments, citing the survey data. This is followed by Australia with 21.8%, Tunisia with 19%, Egypt with 18.8%, Papua New Guinea with 16%, Greece with 14.6% - as well as Paraguay.
The island country of Trinidad and Tobago is with 13.9%, Ukraine with 13.6% and Albania with 13.4%.
The countries with the least chubby children under 5 are Myanmar (formerly Burma), with a percentage of 0.8%, Sri Lanka and East Timor with 1.3%, Madagascar with 1.5%, Yemen and Nepal with 1.7%, Gambia with 1.8%, Ghana with 1.9% and finally Burkina Faso and Kiribati with 2%.
READ MORE: Greek teenagers are the most obese in Europe.