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The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents

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The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents

2

Current price of oil as of July 13, 2026

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Current price of silver as of Monday, July 13, 2026
Healthobesity

Youth Obesity Is At New Highs Globally. See Where It’s Increased the Most Over the Past 20 Years.

By
Nicolas Rapp
Nicolas Rapp
and
Brian O'Keefe
Brian O'Keefe
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By
Nicolas Rapp
Nicolas Rapp
and
Brian O'Keefe
Brian O'Keefe
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November 22, 2017, 10:00 AM ET
Map shows change in youth obesity 1996-2016
Map shows change in youth obesity 1996-2016Nicolas Rapp
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The world is getting much, much heavier. And we can expect a massive increase in obesity-related medical costs as a result. Obesity rates are at new highs in the U.S., according to the most recent data from the CDC, with 40% of adults qualifying as obese. But as the graphic shows, obesity is increasingly a global problem—and one that affects a growing number of children. A new study by Imperial College London and the World Health Organization found that child and teen obesity has increased 10-fold worldwide over the past 40 years. The World Obesity Federation estimates that the global cost of treating obesity-related health problems will reach $1.2 trillion annually by 2025.

Click here if you can’t see the interactive graphic.

A version of this article appears in the Dec. 1, 2017 issue of Fortune with the headline “Weight of the World.”

About the Authors
Nicolas Rapp
By Nicolas RappInformation Graphics Director
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Nicolas Rapp is the former information graphics director at Fortune.

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