Global prevalence of experienced and internalized weight stigma among the general adult population: A systematic literature review

This systematic review synthesizes evidence on the prevalence of experienced and internalized weight stigma in general adult populations. A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and PsycINFO was conducted from inception to October 2025, following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Eligible studies included community-based, non-clinical adult samples (⩾18 years) reporting weight stigma using validated instruments. Eight cross-sectional studies ( n = 18,335) from six countries met inclusion criteria. Both experienced and internalized weight stigma were consistently observed across populations, with generally higher levels reported among women. Estimates varied across cultural contexts and were influenced by differences in measurement tools, scoring approaches, and sample characteristics. Overall, findings suggest that weight stigma is a prevalent and measurable phenomenon in the general adult population. The development of standardized, culturally validated instruments is needed to improve global surveillance and enable robust cross-country comparisons.