LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – According to the latest Eurostat figures, 16.3% of European Union adults were classified as obese in 2025. An additional 35.4% of adults were in the pre-obese range. Collectively, these groups comprised 51.7% of individuals aged 18 and above. These statistics highlight that more than half of the EU adult population had a body mass index categorized as overweight.
The analysis also revealed notable gender disparities across the EU. The obesity rate was 17.4% among men and 15.3% among women. Pre-obesity affected 41.9% of men, compared to 29.3% of women. Women had a higher prevalence of underweight at 2.9%, whereas the figure for men was 1.0%.
Eurostat highlighted significant differences in obesity prevalence among member states. Malta had the highest proportion, with 26.6% of adults classified as obese in 2025. Latvia was next at 24.6%, with Finland at 23.2%. Conversely, Italy recorded the lowest obesity rate at 7.0%, followed by Greece at 12.8% and Romania at 12.9%.
Malta Exhibits the Highest Obesity Rate in the EU
Body mass index, or BMI, evaluates weight in kilograms relative to height in metres squared. Eurostat considers adults with a BMI of 30 or higher as obese. Those with a BMI ranging from 25 to less than 30 are categorized as pre-obese. The broader overweight classification encompasses both obese and pre-obese individuals, while a BMI below 18.5 indicates underweight status.
Gender-related data demonstrate that excess weight impacted a larger share of men than women in 2025. Combining the rates of obesity and pre-obesity results in 59.3% for men and 44.6% for women. The difference in obesity alone between sexes was smaller. These figures include adults aged 18 and above and serve as a standardized metric for comparing weight categories among EU nations.
Tracking Obesity Supports EU Health Monitoring Efforts
The obesity prevalence also contributes to European monitoring aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It plays a role in indicators related to SDG 2, which aims to end hunger and promote good nutrition. Additionally, it underpins SDG 3, focusing on health and well-being. These metrics enable governments to monitor nutritional and health conditions using comparable data across participating countries.
The 2025 data place obesity alongside pre-obesity as key contributors to excess weight across the European Union. Obesity alone affected approximately one in six adults, while pre-obesity affected more than one in three. Variations among countries ranged from 7.0% in Italy to 26.6% in Malta. Overall, the latest figures reveal significant differences between member states but confirm that more than half of EU adults are overweight or obese, with the combined categories representing a majority.