There is growing evidence that, on top of the costs to healthcare systems, the productivity of
employees is being undermined by obesity, compromising the competitiveness of companies. MGI
assessed the productivity lost to obesity using the standard measurement of disability-adjusted life
years, or DALYs, which measure the number of years that are lost or rendered economically
unproductive due to disease. The number of DALYs lost to obesity today is three times as high in
developed economies as it is in emerging markets. However, that gap is narrowing. The rise in the
number of DALYs per 100,000 people lost because of obesity slowed in developed economies
between 1990 and 2010 but soared by 90% in emerging economies.