LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – In 2025, obesity impacted 16.3% of European Union adults, according to the latest Eurostat statistics. An additional 35.4% of adults were classified as pre-obese. Combined, these groups made up 51.7% of individuals aged 18 and over. The data indicates that over half of the EU adult population had a body mass index categorized as overweight.
The statistics also reveal a distinct difference between males and females 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 rate of underweight at 2.9%, whereas the figure among men was 1.0%.
Eurostat highlighted significant disparities in obesity prevalence among EU member states. Malta recorded the highest proportion, with 26.6% of adults classified as obese in 2025. Latvia followed with 24.6%, and Finland ranked third at 23.2%. Conversely, Italy posted the lowest obesity rate at 7.0%. Greece was next at 12.8%, with Romania close behind at 12.9%.
Malta reports the highest obesity rate within the EU
Body mass index, or BMI, gauges weight in kilograms relative to height in metres squared. Eurostat designates adults with a BMI of 30 or higher as obese. Those with a BMI from 25 up to below 30 are categorized as pre-obese. The broader overweight group includes both obese and pre-obese individuals. A BMI under 18.5 indicates an underweight status.
The gender-specific data demonstrates that excess weight was more common among men than women in 2025. When combining obesity and pre-obesity, 59.3% of men were affected, compared to 44.6% of women. The difference in obesity alone was smaller between the sexes. These figures, covering adults aged 18 and older, offer a standardized metric for comparing weight categories across EU nations.
Obesity statistics enhance EU health oversight and reporting
The prevalence of obesity also contributes to European efforts to monitor progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It is relevant for indicators linked to SDG 2, which targets zero hunger and better nutrition. Additionally, it supports tracking SDG 3, which emphasizes health and well-being. These indicators enable authorities to assess nutrition and health status using comparable data across participating countries.
The 2025 results show that obesity and pre-obesity together represent a significant portion of excess weight across the EU. About one in six adults was affected solely by obesity, while pre-obesity impacted more than one in three. Variations among countries ranged from 7.0% in Italy to 26.6% in Malta. Overall, the latest data confirm large differences among member states, yet also highlight that the majority of EU adults fall into overweight categories.