New findings from the Fiji STEPS Survey 2025 show that nearly four in every ten people in Fiji are living with obesity, highlighting a major public health concern.
The survey found that 38.9 per cent of the population met the criteria for obesity.
Of this group, 22.4 per cent were classified as Class 1 obese, 10.6 per cent as Class 2 and 5.9 per cent as Class 3.
A further 29.2 per cent of the population were classified as overweight, while 28.5 per cent recorded a normal body mass index (BMI).
Only 3.4 per cent of the population were underweight.
BMI levels varied significantly by ethnicity. Among Fijians of Indian descent, 24.9 per cent were classified as obese, while 32.5 per cent were overweight.
In contrast, 47.7 per cent of the iTaukei population fell within one of the three obesity classes, with just 24.5 per cent recording a normal BMI.
Age also played a key role. Young adults aged 18 to 29 were less likely to be obese, at 26.7 per cent.
Obesity rates increased sharply among those aged 30 to 44 years (45.6 per cent) and 45 to 59 years (48.2 per cent), before declining slightly to 37.6 per cent among those aged 60 to 69.
Women were significantly more likely to be obese than men.
The survey showed 48.3 per cent of women were obese, compared with 30.4 per cent of men. Among women aged 30 to 59 years, more than half were classified as obese.
The STEPS Survey, conducted using the World Health Organization methodology, is used to monitor non-communicable disease risk factors and guide national health policy and prevention programmes.
