Worldwide Regional Differences in Obesity, Elderly, and COVID-19 Mortality: Do the Exceptions Prove the Rule?

Objectives: Obesity and old age are commonly assumed to be risk factors for COVID-19 mortality. On a worldwide basis, we examine quantitative measures of obesity and elderly in the populations of individual countries and territories, and investigate whether these measures are predictive of COVID-19 mortality in those countries. In particular, we highlight regional differences relative to obesity and elderly metrics, and how these relate to COVID-19 mortality.