LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – In 2025, data from European Union revealed that 16.3% of adults were classified as obese, according to Eurostat statistics. An additional 35.4% of the adult population fell into the pre-obese category. When combined, these groups accounted for 51.7% of individuals aged 18 and over. These figures indicate that more than half of the EU’s adult population is affected by excess weight. Eurostat relies on body mass index, or BMI, to evaluate and compare weight classifications across the participating nations.
Analysis shows that men experienced higher prevalence rates for both obesity and pre-obesity compared to women. The obesity rate among men was 17.4%, whereas it was 15.3% among women. Pre-obesity affected 41.9% of men and 29.3% of women. Combining these figures yields an overweight rate of 59.3% for men, while the corresponding percentage for women stood at 44.6%. Underweight status was more frequent among women, at 2.9%, versus 1.0% for men.
Results varied significantly across EU member states. Malta recorded the highest adult obesity rate at 26.6%, followed by Latvia at 24.6%, and Finland with 23.2%. Italy, on the other hand, had the lowest rate at 7.0%. Greece reported 12.8%, and Romania was at 12.9%. The disparity between Malta and Italy reaches nearly 20 percentage points, representing the largest gap within the dataset.
Malta tops EU obesity rankings
BMI, or body mass index, compares an individual’s weight in kilograms to the square of their height in meters. A BMI of 30 or higher is classified as obese, while a BMI between 25 and below 30 indicates pre-obesity. The broader overweight category includes both ranges. A BMI below 18.5 is considered underweight. These standardized thresholds serve as a uniform statistical basis for comparing adult weight status across EU nations.
The 2025 data also confirm that pre-obesity remains more prevalent than obesity among adults. Over one-third of adults fall into the pre-obese group, while approximately one in six meet the obesity criterion. When combined, overweight categories account for over half of the adult population in the EU. Gender-wise, men tend to have higher pre-obesity rates, though the difference in obesity prevalence between genders is narrower.
EU Monitoring Obesity as Part of Health Objectives
The obesity metric also supports European efforts to track progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It plays a role in monitoring SDG 2, which addresses hunger, food security, and nutrition, as well as SDG 3, which emphasizes health and well-being. Utilizing common BMI categories enables nations to compare adult weight trends over time, offering a consistent statistical tool across EU countries.
The 2025 findings highlight excess weight as one of the most widespread conditions among EU adults. Obesity affected 16.3%, with pre-obesity making up another 35.4%. Malta, Latvia, and Finland recorded the highest rates of obesity within the bloc, whereas Italy, Greece, and Romania reported the lowest. While national figures vary considerably, the data overall confirms that overweight groups collectively encompass the majority of the adult population across the European Union.