Many factors should determine government priorities for action including the size of the problem, inequalities related to the problem, likely future trends, the availability of effective policy options, and the opportunity cost of tackling a particular problem. In this analysis, we provided information about the size of the problem, trends in exposure in the last 27 years, and the range of exposure at given levels of socioeconomic development. Problems that are large, increasing, and variable across countries at the same level of development likely warrant particular policy attention. Our analysis showed that components of diet, obesity, FPG, and SBP are the most prominent global risks fulfilling these criteria. Because of the strong interrelationships between these risks, the true driver of this cluster is likely diet, the risk in BMI, or both, with knock-on consequences for FPG and SBP. The rise of obesity and the associated increases in FPG and SBP warrant considerable global policy attention. Other major risks that should continue to receive attention—even intensified attention in some locations—such as smoking, are nevertheless declining at the global level. The unique
