Worldwide trends in metabolic syndrome from 2000 to 2023: a systematic review and modelling analysis
Jean Jacques Noubiap, Jobert Richie Nansseu, Ulrich Flore Nyaga, Aude Laetitia Ndoadoumgue, Anderson T. Ngouo, Dahlia Noëlle Tounouga et al. · 2025 · 106 citationsRead the paper
Metabolic syndrome (MetS), a cluster of conditions including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, and abnormal blood sugar and lipid levels, is a growing global health concern, yet its global burden remains poorly characterized. Here we show trends in MetS prevalence from 2000 to 2023, based on a systematic review and Bayesian modelling of 3236 data points with 45,549,151 adults. Between 2000 and 2023, prevalence rose from 14.7% (13.1–16.7) to 31.0% (28.5-33.9) among women, and from 9.0% (6.9–12.1) to 25.7% (21.5–31.1) among men. In 2023, an estimated 1.54 billion adults (1.35–1.76) had MetS globally: 846 million (776–924) women and 692 million (579–837) men. Prevalence increased with age, urbanicity, and income level, ranging from 7.5% to 45.0% among women and 6.5% to 59.6% among men across regions. Among both women and men, prevalence increased in 196 countries and territories. These findings call for targeted interventions to address the rising global burden. The global burden of Metabolic syndrome is incompletely characterized. Here the authors report a systematic review and modelling study showing that global metabolic syndrome prevalence doubled from 2000 to 2023, now affecting 1.54 billion adults (31.0% of women, 25.7% of men), with higher rates in women, urban areas, and high-income countries, with disparities across regions.
What the full text shows
Shown in the lab- Global prevalence of metabolic syndrome increased significantly between 2000 and 2023. — 11.9% to 28.4% (Global adult population)
- Prevalence among women rose more than among men. — Women: 14.7% to 31.0%; Men: 9.0% to 25.7% (2000 to 2023)
- Estimated total number of adults living with metabolic syndrome in 2023. — 1.54 billion adults (Global)
- Prevalence correlates positively with national income level. — Women: 6.2% (low) to 38.0% (high); Men: 3.7% (low) to 45.9% (high) (2023 income strata)
- Prevalence correlates positively with urbanicity. — Women: 12.6% (low) to 37.4% (high); Men: 9.0% (low) to 39.0% (high) (2023 urbanicity settings)
- Regional prevalence peaks in specific areas. — Women: 7.5% (Central Africa) to 45.0% (High-income English-speaking); Men: 6.5% (Central Africa) to 59.6% (Central Europe) (2023 regional estimates)
- Setup
- 3,236 data points from 45,549,151 adults; data collected between 1990 and 2019.
- How
- Systematic review of 597 reports followed by Bayesian multilevel logistic regression modelling to estimate prevalence across 198 countries. The model incorporated fixed effects for age, urbanicity, GDP per capita, and diagnostic definitions, with random effects for geographic clustering.
- Limitations
- Data from original reports only went up to 2019, requiring modelling for 2023 estimates. · Some regions (Oceania) lacked sufficient data. · Variability in diagnostic criteria used across included studies.
Summarized by Gemma 4 from the open-access full text · 13 Oct 2026. Read it