New study reveals how obesity treatment could drive
social and economic change
in Saudi Arabia
(RIYADH) - ‘Uncovering the Full Scale of the Economic and Societal
Benefits of Weight Loss’, a
new report by AI economics
policy advisory Whiteshield,
commissioned by
Eli Lilly and Company
(NYSE: LLY), reveals that
accelerated obesity
intervention could help 3.3
million people in Saudi
Arabia transition out of
obesity by 2030, delivering
wide-ranging benefits across
health, the economy,
society, and education in
line with Vision 2030.
The report highlights
potential cost reductions,
GDP increases, life
expectancy improvements,
workforce readiness, and
education rankings. In
addition to unlocking up to
$1.8 billion in healthcare
costs to the local
government and individuals,
the report highlights that
accelerated obesity
intervention could result in
a one-percentage-point boost
to GDP growth until 2030,
lifting national GDP to an
estimated $1.41 trillion.
Tackling obesity could also
increase the participation
of Saudi nationals in the
workforce by empowering
almost 23,000 additional
males and over 53,000
additional females to join
the workforce by 2030,
supporting local Saudization
goals.
‘Uncovering
the Full Scale of the
Economic and Societal
Benefits of Weight Loss’
states that obesity
intervention could increase
life expectancy by 1.1 years
for nearly 10 million people
previously living with
obesity in the Kingdom.
Obesity interventions can
also stimulate the education
sector with the potential to
increase Bachelor enrollment
by over 10,000 during the
same period.
“Obesity
studies have too often been
limited to a narrow
equation: the cost of
intervention versus the cost
of treatment. For the first
time, this report reveals
the true scale of benefits,
not only for health, but for
the economy, society, and
the future workforce. The
message is clear: effective
obesity policies are not
just good health policy,
they are good economic
policy. With recent
breakthroughs in research
and innovation, countries
now have the opportunity to
confront the socioeconomic
burden of obesity with
unprecedented urgency and
ambition,” said Fadi Farra,
Founder and Managing Partner
of Whiteshield.
Commenting on the report,
Mostafa Abdelrahman,
President and General
Manager of Lilly in the
Saudi Arabia Regional
Headquarters, said:
“Whiteshield’s report
provides critical insights
into the true impact of
obesity on our economy,
revealing the true cost of
this disease.
We
welcome Saudi Arabia’s
openness to adopting
innovative solutions to
transform national health
approaches and weight
management, and we are ready
to work together with
policymakers and healthcare
leaders to turn this
evidence into action,
ensuring Saudi Arabia leads
the way in setting a new
standard to tackle obesity
as an economic as well as a
health challenge.”
The report, titled
‘Uncovering the Full Scale
of the Economic and Societal
Benefits of Weight Loss’,
was launched on the
sidelines of the Global
Health Exhibition in Riyadh.
Based on an in-depth
analysis of Saudi Arabia’s
health and economic data,
the Whiteshield report,
commissioned by Lilly,
presents a comprehensive
assessment of the
multifaceted benefits of
obesity intervention and
serves as a guide for
informed policymaking.
Accelerated obesity
intervention assumes that
innovative weight loss
solutions reach 57 percent
of adults living with
obesity. However, the report
also states that even in the
moderate weight loss
scenario, benefits remain
largely substantial for KSA,
with positive impacts across
all areas studied.
The study segments obesity
intervention benefits into
different key themes, aiming
to capture the primary
societal dimensions
influenced by weight loss,
consistent with scientific
literature on the subject.
These include health
(physical and mental
well-being, quality of life,
and lifespan), economy
(workforce productivity and
growth), society
(sustainable demographic
development), and education
(local capability
advancement).
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