Edinburgh obesity levels on the rise as city has 5th highest number of fast-food outlets in the world

– Three UK cities rank in the bottom ten globally for concentration of fast food outlets – 

– UK ranks as 11th worst country globally for adult obesity and the WORST in Europe –

Recent analysis by online home rental company Spotahome has revealed that Edinburgh ranks as the 3^rd worst city in Europe for number of fast food outlets, and 5^th worst in the world.

Spotahome has standardised the latest data available for number of fast food outlets per 100,000 citizens in each city*, with a zero rating being the worst. It also analysed available data on the number of overweight adults**.

In England alone, the number of fast-food outlets increased by 4,000 between 2014 and 2017, mostly in deprived areas.

Edinburgh featured in the top ten global cities with the highest concentration of fast food outlets, along with two cities in England – Manchester (2.49) and Leeds (4.85).

#	Highest number of fast food outlets in global cities	Score	Lowest number of fast food outlets in global cities	Score
1	Reykjavik, Iceland	0	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	10
2	Cork, Ireland	0.52	Cairo, Egypt	9.94
3	São Paulo, Brazil	2.09	Lima, Peru	9.87
4	Manchester, UK	2.49	Cape Town, South Africa	9.84
5	Edinburgh, UK	2.69	Muscat, Oman	9.83
6	Prague, Czech Republic	4.63	Riyadh, Saudi Arabi	9.83
7	Leeds, UK	4.85	Mexico City, Mexico	9.79
8	Dublin, Ireland	4.97	Buenos Aires, Argentina	9.73
9	Geneva, Switzerland	5.37	Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	9.61
10	Vancouver, Canada	5.5	Seoul, South Korea	9.6

Reykjavik in Iceland was awarded the prize for the worst performance (0), with more outlets per 100,000 citizens than any other studied. The best is Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia (10).

The Foresight report states the increasing consumption of out-of-home meals – that are often cheap and readily available – is a factor that contributes to rising levels of obesity.

Spotahome’s research also supports these findings, as the UK is ranked the most obese country in Europe, scoring a low 1.54 and ranking 11^th worst in the world.

#		Highest level of adult obesity in Europe		Score		Highest level of adult obesity globally		Score
1		United Kingdom		1.54		Qatar		0
2		Czech Republic		1.81		Saudi Arabia		0.38
3		Greece		1.81		United States		0.73
4		Spain		1.94		United Arab Emirates		0.75
5		Hungary		1.94		Turkey		0.94
6		Ireland		2.13		New Zealand		1.17
7		Lithuania		2.33		Mexico		1.31
8		Croatia		2.33		Australia		1.38
9		France		2.35		Israel		1.42
10		Belgium		2.35		Canada		1.46

The Middle-Eastern nations of Qatar (0), Saudi Arabia (0.38) and UAE (0.75), along with the U.S. (0.73), rate as the worst globally.

In comparison, Asian countries have the lowest levels of obesity, led by India (10) and closely followed by Japan (8.56), South Korea (7.96), Singapore (7.67) and China (7.58).

Melissa Lyras, Brand and Communications Manager at Spotahome commented on the findings: “It’s easier to stay healthy in a city or country with nutritious eating habits. Easy access to junk food can make this more difficult, tempting us to make unhealthy choices despite our best intentions.

“Most notably the Middle East, the U.S. and the UK, have a long way to go to reverse current, high obesity levels and in reducing the number of unhealthy fast food outlets.” 

To see the full data for each city and country, including how each rate for other health-related categories, please visit Spotahome’s dedicated webpage here.