So looks like America is no longer claiming the title of the most obese country on the planet, the honour has been officially passed onto its neighbour, Mexico.

According to a new study released by the UN that focussed on the most populous countries, 70 percent of Mexican adults are considered overweight with almost a third of them obese. Childhood obesity in the country tripled in the last decade and a third of Mexican teenagers are overweight.

"The same people who are malnourished are the ones who are becoming obese," said physician Abelardo Avila with Mexico's National Nutrition Institute.

"In the poor classes we have obese parents and malnourished children. The worst thing is the children are becoming programmed for obesity. It's a very serious epidemic."

Weight-related diabetes is a huge problem in Mexico and claims approximately 70,000 lives each year. More than 40,000 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed every year.

America though not claiming top-spot is still in second place with 31.8 percent of its population classified as obese, followed by New Zealand (26.5), Chile (25.1) and Australia (24.6).