According to the European Health Interview Survey, over half of adults in the European Union are overweight. The Czech Republic has the third highest share of overweight adults, with 60% of the population being overweight, behind only Croatia and Malta. Photo: Illustrative photo, Credit: FreePik
Czech Rep., Jul 23 (BD) – According to the recent European Health Interview Survey, 45% of adults living in the EU had normal weight, measured by Body Mass Index (BMI). Nearly 3% were considered underweight, while more than half were overweight. BMI is a measure of a person’s weight relative to their height, which generally correlates with body fat.
The lowest share of overweight people is among those aged 18-24, at just over 20%, while this figure rose to over 60% of those aged 65 to 74. The EU member states with the most overweight adults were Croatia and Malta (65%).
At the other end of the scale, Italy, France and Luxembourg have the lowest proportion of overweight adults, at just over 45%
Calculated by BMI, the Czech Republic has the third-highest share of overweight adults in the EU (around 60%), higher than its neighbours Germany, Poland, Austria, and Slovakia.
Share of Men and Women in Overweight Population in the EU in 2019. Credit: Eurostat.
According to the survey, more men were overweight than women in all EU Member States in 2019. The Czech Republic has one of the largest gaps between men and women (70% vs. 50%), similar to that in Luxembourg and Cyprus.
