A study by a UK-based think tank has found that obesity is affecting people in developing countries the most.
Figures from the Overseas Development Institute show that in the last 30 years, the number of overweight or obese adults in developing countries has more than tripled to 900 million while in high-income countries, numbers increased just half as much.
The report's co-author, Steve Wiggins says the Pacific region has some of the highest levels of obesity in the developing world, in some cases, even in the whole world.
Countries such as Nauru and Tonga have particularly high obesity rates.
But it's a different story in Asia. Despite rising obesity in Asia, the rate of the rise is slower than other parts of the world.
"South Korea... has half the levels of overweight and obesity and it has probably higher incomes than Egypt and Mexico," Mr Wiggins said, adding that more than two-thirds of the people in Mexico and Egypt face weight problems.
The study has found that some of the traditional Asian diets are good for people who have desk-bound jobs.
"You know, steamed rice, fresh seafood, use of green vegetables in cooking and the fast foods are coming into Korea but there's still quite a strong sticking to traditional elements in there which provide less calories and a more adequate diet for people who are having increasingly sedentary life," he said.
Overall, more than one-third of people are obese or overweight across the world.
The growing obesity rates are alarming and given current trends, there will be a huge increase in the number of people suffering from non-communicable diseases, including certain types of cancer, diabetes, strokes and heart attacks.
But Mr Wiggins says politicians face no immediate pressure to act when it comes to obesity.
"The problem that we're looking at is a rising tide but it's under the radar so to speak," he said.
"It doesn't produce natural disasters, it doesn't produce famines. It's a problem that creeps up on us and it doesn't hit the headlines. So there isn't necessarily anything that's triggering politicians."
"Who wants to take on the lobbies that come from some parts of the food industry, some parts of agriculture which say the government has no right to talk about diets and influence people's diets, that's purely individual choice?
"And who wants to take up consumers who quite naturally do not want to see governments in the dining or in their kitchens?"
Mr Wiggins says most people are very wary when their government starts "dictating what they should eat" because most people have a struggle with their weight due to a sedentary lifestyle.
"For many people, the problem of an expanding waistline is not the result of a very bad diet, it's the result of a diet which is just a little bit more than adequate in terms of calories compared to their activity level," he said.
Mr Wiggins advocates a shift in diet to tackle obesity, instead of a radical change.
"We can perhaps change some of the prices of high risk foods against the healthier option so that the health options become cheaper," he said.