More than 57.1 percent of Filipino adults aged 20 to 59 years were classified as overweight or obese in 2023, according to the latest National Nutrition Survey released by the Department of Science and Technology–Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI).
Conducted every five years, the survey measures the nutritional status, dietary patterns, and lifestyle-related risk factors of Filipinos nationwide.
In the Philippines, where celebrations centered on abundant food are woven into cultural life, these figures highlight a growing public health concern. Sustained overweight and obesity increase the risk of serious noncommunicable diseases later in life.
Meanwhile, provisional deaths data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) list ischemic heart disease, neoplasms (cancers), and cerebrovascular diseases, including stroke, as the top causes of death in 2023. These findings underscore the national burden of conditions closely linked to diet- and lifestyle-related risk factors.
Against this backdrop, public health agencies and global authorities such as the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasize everyday dietary patterns—not just occasional indulgences—as central to long-term health outcomes. Greater awareness and healthier food environments before, during, and after festive occasions therefore play a critical role in reducing preventable disease and mortality.
National nutrition picture: Rising overweight and obesity among adults
The 2023 National Nutrition Survey compiled by DOST-FNRI provides the most recent nationally representative snapshot of Filipino nutrition and health risks.
Using the Asia-Pacific body mass index (BMI) classification, the survey found that 57.1 percent of adults aged 20 to 59 were either overweight or obese, representing a majority of the working-age population. The survey calculates BMI using measured height and weight, making it the authoritative reference for policymakers, health professionals, and researchers assessing diet-related risks in the Philippines.
At the same time, the national nutrition release also documents persistent undernutrition challenges, including stunting and underweight prevalence in certain population groups. These findings illustrate the country’s “double burden of malnutrition,” where undernutrition and diet-related chronic disease risk coexist.
Nevertheless, the high prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults stands out as a risk factor that, without sustained intervention, can compound other health burdens. Internationally, countries experiencing similar trends often link rising adult obesity to changes in food environments, increased availability of convenience foods, aggressive marketing of calorie-dense products, and reduced physical activity.
In the Philippines, public health analyses increasingly examine how traditional dietary staples interact with rising consumption of processed and calorie-dense foods.
READ: Why Filipinos Are Both Overfed and Undernourished—and How to Eat Better Without Spending More
Leading causes of death reflect chronic disease burden
Mortality patterns reinforce why excess weight matters at the population level. According to provisional 2023 PSA cause-of-death data, ischemic heart disease, neoplasms, and cerebrovascular diseases ranked as the leading causes of death nationwide.
These conditions fall under noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and are widely associated with modifiable risk factors such as elevated BMI, high blood pressure, dysglycemia, and unhealthy dietary patterns.
Ischemic heart disease remained the country’s top killer in 2023. Data compiled by news organizations citing PSA figures indicate that approximately 112,789 deaths were attributed to heart disease that year, accounting for about one in five Filipino deaths.
Cerebrovascular diseases also continued to contribute substantially to mortality, reflecting global patterns in populations experiencing rising chronic disease risk.
What counts as “too much” salt and sugar: WHO thresholds
Dietary guidance becomes actionable when it includes clear numeric targets. On salt intake, WHO recommends that adults consume less than 2,000 milligrams of sodium per day—equivalent to less than 5 grams of salt—to reduce the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
On sugar, WHO guidelines advise both adults and children to limit free sugars to less than 10 percent of total daily energy intake, with further reduction to below 5 percent associated with additional health benefits. WHO communications describe the stricter target as roughly 25 grams, or about six teaspoons, of free sugars per day.
These thresholds are particularly relevant in the Philippine context, where sodium and sugar often come not only from home cooking but also from sauces, processed foods, packaged snacks, and sugar-sweetened beverages consumed during both celebrations and daily meals.
Filipino meals and tools for balance
Translating global nutrient targets into everyday meals remains challenging. To address this gap, DOST-FNRI developed Pinggang Pinoy, a plate-based food guide tailored to Filipino eating patterns.
According to FNRI, Pinggang Pinoy uses a familiar plate model to visually communicate recommended proportions of vegetables, fruits, protein foods, and staple carbohydrates at each meal. The guide offers practical guidance for daily eating rather than prescriptive dieting.
Even when festive menus include heavier dishes, households can apply the plate model by increasing the share of vegetables and fruits while moderating portions of calorie-dense foods. Pinggang Pinoy also provides a consistent framework that helps families return to routine eating patterns after celebrations without resorting to restrictive or fad diets.
Sweetened beverages remain a major source of free sugar
Beyond food choices, beverages account for a significant share of free sugar intake in the Filipino diet. Soft drinks, sweetened juices, flavored teas, and similar products add sugars without promoting satiety, making excess consumption easy.
Recognizing their public health impact, the Philippine government imposed excise taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages under Republic Act No. 10963, the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law. The policy applies different tax rates depending on the type of sweetener used and forms part of broader fiscal and health strategies.
WHO guidance supports such measures, noting that reducing free sugar intake lowers the risk of weight gain and dental caries, and that shifting consumption away from sugar-sweetened beverages is central to improving overall diet quality.
Obesity and overweight on the rise globally
The Philippine experience mirrors global trends. According to WHO’s “Obesity and overweight” fact sheet updated in December 2025, approximately 2.5 billion adults worldwide were overweight in 2022, including more than 890 million living with obesity, equivalent to 43 percent of the global adult population.
The World Obesity Atlas 2025 projects that, on current trends, nearly 3 billion adults—around half of the world’s adult population—could be affected by overweight or obesity by 2030 without stronger interventions.
These projections highlight how calorie-dense diets, reduced physical activity, and food environments favoring processed foods drive rising BMI levels worldwide. Even within this broader context, national policies, household habits, and local food environments continue to shape outcomes.
READ: WHO’s 2025 GLP-1 Obesity Guideline: What It Means for the Philippines
Challenges and opportunities in Filipino eating environments
Filipino celebrations—such as Noche Buena, Media Noche, fiestas, birthdays, and reunions—remain cultural hallmarks that strengthen social bonds. However, repeated exposure to high-sodium and high-sugar foods during these events can accumulate over time.
Focusing solely on special occasions misses a larger reality: what people eat between celebrations matters even more for long-term health. Snacks, beverages, restaurant meals, and leftovers shape daily intake patterns that influence weight, blood pressure, and blood sugar.
Nutrition experts emphasize that food environments—what is affordable, accessible, and heavily marketed—shape choices as much as personal preference. Policies such as excise taxes on sweetened beverages and education tools like Pinggang Pinoy offer opportunities to shift norms toward healthier defaults.
What the numbers tell us
Data from the DOST-FNRI 2023 National Nutrition Survey and the PSA’s provisional mortality figures present a sobering but actionable picture. A majority of working-age Filipinos now live with excess weight, while chronic noncommunicable diseases dominate causes of death.
These patterns are not inevitable. They respond to environments, norms, policies, and everyday choices. The lesson is not to vilify Filipino food culture or shared meals, but to recognize that long-term health depends on what becomes routine once celebrations end.
Pinggang Pinoy offers culturally grounded guidance that makes balance tangible. WHO’s sodium and free sugar benchmarks provide clear targets across the year. Fiscal measures, such as taxes on unhealthy products, show how policy can support healthier defaults.
Food can remain an expression of generosity and joy. Protecting health, however, requires returning consistently to balanced meals, mindful choices, and environments that support well-being long after the plates are cleared.
Photo by Elena Leya on Unsplash
Data Sources
- Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI)
2023 National Nutrition Survey (NNS) - Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)
Provisional Causes of Death, Philippines, 2023 - World Health Organization (WHO)
Healthy Diet Fact Sheet; Guideline on Sugars Intake; Obesity and Overweight Fact Sheet (2025 update) - World Obesity Federation
World Obesity Atlas 2025 - Republic Act No. 10963 (TRAIN Law)
Excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages - DOST-FNRI
Pinggang Pinoy® Healthy Food Plate for Filipinos
