Worldwide trends in metabolic syndrome from 2000 to 2023: a systematic review and modelling analysis

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.