Researchers have speculated that almost a quarter of the global population will be obese in next 27 years, warning of the mounting medical bill.

If current trends continue, 22 percent of people in the world will be obese by 2045, up from 14 percent last year, according to research presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Vienna.

One in eight people, up from one in 11, will have type 2 diabetes — a form of the disease that generally hits in adulthood as a result of being overweight.

“These numbers underline the staggering challenge the world will face in the future in terms of numbers of people who are obese or have type 2 diabetes, or both,” said researcher Alan Moses of Danish healthcare company Novo Nordisk’s research and development department.