Can a country get rich without getting fat? That’s the million-dollar question Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath fired off on X.
In a world where growing economies are packing on the pounds, Japan is the one rich nation that’s managed to stay lean. So what gives? And can others follow suit — or are bulging waistlines just part of the deal when nations bulk up their GDP?
Kamath in his post shared the hard truth: rich countries are fat — and poor countries are not. Obesity rates in wealthy nations average 55%, while poorer ones hover around 22%. But Japan? With a 5.6% obesity rate, they’ve cracked the code — and stand alone among the world’s top economies.
The contrast is staggering. Luxembourg, with a GDP per capita of $126,598, weighs in at 18.9% obesity. Norway isn’t far behind — $108,439 per capita income and 19.5% obesity.
Switzerland holds at 12.5% obesity on $94,799 GDP per capita. Even ultra-efficient Singapore can’t avoid creeping waistlines, with 14% obesity and $88,429 GDP per capita. But the real jaw-dropper? The United States, where a GDP of $77,980 comes with a 42.7% obesity rate — nearly half the population.
So how does Japan stay out of the fat club? For starters, they eat differently — a lot differently. The Japanese diet is heavy on fish, vegetables, and fermented foods, and light on dairy, butter, and meat.
Portion sizes are small, and their culture promotes "Hara Hachi Bu" — stopping when you’re 80% full. Good luck finding aisles of junk food: processed foods barely take up space in supermarkets, and schools ban them outright.
It doesn’t stop at food. Japan’s cities are built for movement — walking and biking are part of daily life, and they’ve got a law — the Metabo Law — that literally requires companies to measure employees’ waistlines every year.
Meanwhile, countries like India, with a GDP per capita ranked 146th and an obesity rate of 7.51%, are watching and wondering: Can we grow richer without growing fatter or is Japan just a one-off?