LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – Obesity affected 16.3% of European Union adults in 2025, according to the latest Eurostat data. Another 35.4% of adults fell into the pre-obese category. Together, the two groups accounted for 51.7% of people aged 18 and over. The figures show that more than half of the EU adult population had a body mass index classified as overweight.
The data also showed a clear difference between men and women across the European Union. The obesity rate reached 17.4% among men and 15.3% among women. Pre-obesity affected 41.9% of men, compared with 29.3% of women. Women recorded a higher underweight rate at 2.9%, while the corresponding share among men stood at 1.0%.
Eurostat reported wide differences in obesity rates among EU member states. Malta recorded the highest share, with 26.6% of adults classified as obese in 2025. Latvia followed at 24.6%, while Finland ranked third at 23.2%. At the other end, Italy posted the lowest obesity rate at 7.0%. Greece followed at 12.8%, with Romania close behind at 12.9%.
Malta records EU’s highest obesity rate
Body mass index, commonly known as BMI, measures weight in kilograms against the square of height in metres. Eurostat classifies adults with a BMI of 30 or more as obese. Adults with a BMI from 25 to below 30 fall into the pre-obese category. The broader overweight classification covers both obese and pre-obese adults, while a BMI below 18.5 falls within the underweight category.
The gender figures show that excess weight affected a larger share of men than women in 2025. Combining obesity and pre-obesity rates gives 59.3% for men and 44.6% for women. The obesity category alone showed a smaller gap between the sexes. The figures cover people aged 18 and older and provide a common statistical measure for comparing weight categories across EU countries.
Obesity data supports EU health monitoring
The obesity rate also forms part of European monitoring linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It contributes to indicators associated with SDG 2, which covers zero hunger and improved nutrition. The measure also supports monitoring of SDG 3, which focuses on health and well-being. These indicators allow authorities to track nutrition and health conditions using comparable data across participating countries.
The 2025 figures place obesity alongside pre-obesity as a major component of excess weight across the European Union. Obesity alone affected about one in six adults, while pre-obesity accounted for more than one in three. Country results ranged from 7.0% in Italy to 26.6% in Malta. The latest data therefore show substantial variation across member states while confirming that overweight categories together covered a majority of EU adults.