LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – The prevalence of obesity among adults in the European Union reached 16.3% in 2025, based on data from Eurostat. An additional 35.4% of adults were classified as pre-obese. Collectively, these groups made up 51.7% of individuals aged 18 and older. This indicates that over half of the EU adult population is affected by excess weight. Eurostat employs body mass index, or BMI, as a standard metric to compare weight categories across member countries.
Men exhibited higher rates of both obesity and pre-obesity than women did. The obesity rate for men stood at 17.4%, whereas for women it was 15.3%. Pre-obesity impacted 41.9% of men and 29.3% of women. When these categories are combined, the overweight rate among men rises to 59.3%, compared to 44.6% for women. Underweight status was more prevalent among women, at 2.9%, than among men, at 1.0%.
Results varied significantly across EU member states. Malta recorded the highest obesity rate at 26.6% of adults, followed by Latvia at 24.6% and Finland at 23.2%. Italy had the lowest rate at 7.0%. Greece reported 12.8%, and Romania was at 12.9%. The data reveal nearly a 20 percentage point gap between Malta and Italy, representing the highest and lowest rates in the dataset.
Malta tops EU obesity statistics
BMI compares a person’s weight in kilograms with the square of their height in metres. A BMI of 30 or higher classifies an individual as obese. A BMI between 25 and below 30 places an adult in the pre-obese category. The broader overweight measure combines both groups. A BMI under 18.5 falls into the underweight range. These benchmarks offer a uniform statistical basis for comparing adult weight statuses across EU nations.
The 2025 data also indicates that pre-obesity remained more widespread than obesity among adults. Over one-third of adults fell into the pre-obese category, while approximately one in six adults reached the obesity threshold. The total percentage of overweight individuals, combining both groups, exceeded 50% in the EU. Gender differences further widened this picture, with men displaying notably higher pre-obesity levels. The gap in obesity rates between men and women was comparatively smaller.
Obesity Monitoring Aligns with EU Health Objectives
This obesity indicator also supports the European Union’s efforts in monitoring the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It contributes particularly to tracking SDG 2, which focuses on hunger, food security, and nutrition improvements. Additionally, it relates to SDG 3, centered on health and well-being. Employing standardized BMI categories enables countries to compare adult weight trends over time and across nations within the EU, offering a consistent statistical framework.
The 2025 findings highlight excess weight as one of the most common weight issues among EU adults. Obesity alone affected 16.3%, with pre-obesity accounting for another 35.4%. Malta, Latvia, and Finland reported the highest obesity rates within the bloc, whereas Italy, Greece, and Romania had the lowest. While national figures vary considerably, the data confirm that the majority of the adult population falls within overweight categories across the European Union.