Report: About a Third of World Obese, Costs Hit $2 Trillion

A new report by the McKinsey Global Institute says that the global cost of obesity has risen to $2 trillion annually — nearly as much as smoking or the combined impact of armed violence, war and terrorism.

The report released Thursday focused on the economics of obesity and says 2.1 billion people — some 30 percent of the global population — are overweight or obese.

It also offers the stark prediction that nearly half of the world's adult population will be overweight or obese by 2030 should the present trends continue.

McKinsey says there's no single or simple solution to the problem, but global disagreement on how to move forward is hurting progress. The analysis is meant to offer a starting point on the elements of a possible strategy.