Malta leads EU in obesity rate
Eurostat figures: 16.3% of EU adults are obese (BMI ≥30) and more than half of adults are overweight.
Malta registers the highest share of obese adults in the European Union, with more than a quarter of its population classified as overweight, while Lithuania (24.6%) and Finland (23.2%) follow behind. At the other end of the scale, Italy (7%), Greece (12.8%) and Romania (12.9%) report the lowest obesity rates.
Across the EU, 16.3% of adults are classified as obese, compared with 15.4% in North Macedonia. The EU figures refer to people aged 18 and over and use the body mass index (BMI) threshold for obesity.
Breakdown and wider picture
Last year, 16.3% of adults in the European Union had a BMI of 30 or higher. A further 35.4% of adults recorded a BMI between 25 and 30, which means that overall more than half of the EU population is overweight.
The statistics show gender differences: obesity affects 17.4% of men in the EU and 15.3% of women. In terms of overweight prevalence, 41.9% of men fall into the overweight category, compared with 29.3% of women.
These numbers highlight the scale of overweight and obesity across the EU and in neighbouring countries such as North Macedonia, and underline continuing public-health challenges for governments and health systems.
Photo: press material from the event
