NEARLY 50million Brits will be fat by 2050 — costing the NHS an estimated £10billion a year — as global obesity rates soar to record levels, studies show. Experts predict that without urgent action, six in ten adults and a third of youngsters worldwide will be overweight or obese in 25 years. Globally, around 4.55billion people of all ages are expected to be fat by the landmark year — close to half the world’s population. The rise is blamed on soaring obesity rates in children, and in poorer nations in Asia and Africa. In the UK, the total will rocket to 49million from 38.4million in 2021, sparking fears of increased pressure on hospitals and medical facilities. Obesity currently costs the NHS around £6.5billion per year and that is projected to increase considerably as more cases need to be treated. Excess flab raises the risk of people suffering cancer, dementia, heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, and liver and kidney disease. A Swedish study last year found nearly half of all new cancer cases are now linked to obesity. The huge UK increase means we will continue to rank in the top three high-income countries for the number of overweight citizens. Among adults over 25 here, the total overweight or obese is predicted to rise from 33million to 43million. Meanwhile, 2.6million kids aged five to 14 will fall under the classification — up from 2.4million in 2021. For 15 to 24-year-olds, the total will increase to 3.4million. The figures come from two studies by the Global Burden of Disease Study BMI Collaborators, published in medical journal The Lancet. Researchers used international data to project global fat rates in adults will rise from around 45 per cent in 2021 to 60 per cent in 2050. Study leader Prof Emmanuela Gakidou, of the University of Washington, said: “This is a profound tragedy and a monumental failure.” Obesity researcher Prof Thorkild Sorensen, from Copenhagen University, said: “The scale of the epidemic is such that solutions will have to be public health interventions.” He added that big changes in governments, food companies or medicines could avert the disaster. Alfred Slade, of the UK’s Obesity Health Alliance, said last night: “There has not been some worldwide failure of willpower. “Massive global companies are making enormous profits selling food and drink that makes us sick, and we need to do something about it.” Veteran UK obesity campaigner Tam Fry said: “These figures are horrific and this was all predicted in 2007 but nothing has happened. “I am absolutely appalled and have been every year. “It’s a very real problem and no government administration has done anything about it.” Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.