The US and Canada have the highest per capita global obesity rates.

This was the finding of a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which compared the global obesity rate for adults aged 20-64 from 2008-2014.

The US had a rate of 29.3 per cent, while Canada had a record 27.3%.

There were no significant differences in obesity rates between countries.

However, the researchers found that obesity rates have risen in the US over the past decade, but the rate in Canada has declined.

That may be because obesity rates in the two countries have been on a similar trajectory, which means that it is harder to attribute any changes in the way people eat.

“It’s interesting that the US has been able to sustain its high obesity rate, but we have to remember that the obesity rate in the United States is lower than it is in Canada,” said Dr Daniel Sperling, a professor at the University of Toronto and lead author of the study.

“We think the big driver of obesity in the world is that we’re eating too much, and we’re consuming too little,” he said.

“So if you eat less, you burn fat and you lose weight.

But if you’re eating more, you actually increase your risk of developing obesity.”

Dr Sperline said obesity rates had not increased in the UK since 2000 and had not declined in Canada since 2003.

However the US is not the only country that has seen a rise in obesity over the last few years.

Australia’s rate is also up, while the UK has seen an increase of around 5 per cent in obesity from 2007 to 2014.

The findings highlight the need to address the problem, said Dr Sperlee.

“The US has a lot of food to burn, but it’s also a lot more food available than it used to be, and so it is very easy for people to become obese,” he told BBC News.

“Obesity is a global health problem and it’s going to continue to increase.”

The new study has been published in PLOS ONE.