Adults with obesity in Europe, 2022
The share of adults with a body mass index of 30 or more, in 17 European countries and the United States, from WHO's age-standardised estimates.
Data year: 2022 · Published: · Last updated:
- United States40.4%
- Hungary30.4%
- Ireland27.4%
- United Kingdom27.0%
- Greece27.0%
- Czechia25.6%
- Finland23.2%
- Poland21.8%
- Germany20.6%
- Belgium20.2%
- Portugal18.3%
- Sweden17.0%
- Spain16.1%
- Austria16.0%
- Netherlands14.5%
- Italy14.4%
- Denmark14.0%
- France11.5%
| Country | Adults with obesity (%) |
|---|---|
| United States | 40.4 |
| Hungary | 30.4 |
| Ireland | 27.4 |
| United Kingdom | 27.0 |
| Greece | 27.0 |
| Czechia | 25.6 |
| Finland | 23.2 |
| Poland | 21.8 |
| Germany | 20.6 |
| Belgium | 20.2 |
| Portugal | 18.3 |
| Sweden | 17.0 |
| Spain | 16.1 |
| Austria | 16.0 |
| Netherlands | 14.5 |
| Italy | 14.4 |
| Denmark | 14.0 |
| France | 11.5 |
What a BMI of 30 or more means
Body mass index (BMI) is weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. For adults, WHO defines obesity as a BMI of 30 or more. BMI is a quick measure for whole populations, not a diagnosis for one person: it does not separate fat from muscle, it says nothing about where fat is stored, and the same BMI can carry different health risks for different people.
Why countries differ
Differences between countries reflect many things at once, including diet and food environments, physical activity, income and education, and how towns and cities are built. The figures are modelled WHO estimates based on national surveys, so a gap of a few tenths of a percentage point between two countries should not be read as a real difference.
What age-standardised means
Obesity becomes more common with age, so a country with an older population would look worse in a simple count. Age-standardised figures weight every country to the same reference age structure, which makes countries comparable with each other. They are not the same as the crude share of adults with obesity in any one country.
Where Spain sits
WHO's estimate for Spain in 2022 is 16.1% of adults. That places Spain in the lower half of the 17 European countries shown, close to Austria (16.0%) and Sweden (17.0%), and far below the United States (40.4%), which is included as a reference.
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