Obesity In Europe [Infographic]
Which EU Nation Is The Most Obese?
Fast food, binge drinking and spending more and more of our days glued to multiple screens are all becoming more and more common aspects of life for many of us. But have you ever stopped and started to ponder how this dramatic shift in our activity is impacting on your overall health? Well the good people at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (the OECD) thought they’d take a look at how overweight Europe is and who tops the scales when it comes to obesity and pop it in to this handy infographic:
This study of obesity in Europe has revealed that Hungary, the UK and Ireland make up the three countries in the EU with the most obese men and women residing in them. Romania, Switzerland and Norway on the other hand seem to be a nation teeming with trim and health conscious citizens as they boast the lowest percentage of overweight residents.
Feeling Hungary?
What’s surprising is that neighbouring countries Hungary and Romania represent the two ends of this spectrum of husk, with Hungary being home to the largest percentage of obese residents and Romania boasting the lowest.
| Country | % Of Population Obese |
|---|---|
| Romania | 7.9% |
| Switzerland | 8.1% |
| Norway | 10% |
| Italy | 10.3% |
| Netherlands | 11.4% |
| Bulgaria | 11.5% |
| Austria | 12.8% |
| France | 12.9% |
| Sweden | 12.9% |
| Denmark | 13.4% |
| Belgium | 13.8% |
| Germany | 14.7% |
| Portugal | 15.4% |
| Cyprus | 15.6% |
| Finland | 15.6% |
| Poland | 15.8% |
| Spain | 16% |
| EU Average | 16.6% |
| Slovenia | 16.8% |
| Estonia | 16.9% |
| Latvia | 16.9% |
| Slovak Republic | 16.9% |
| Turkey | 16.9% |
| Greece | 17.3% |
| Lithuania | 19.7% |
| Czech Republic | 21% |
| Iceland | 21% |
| Luxemborg | 22.5% |
| Malta | 22.9% |
| Ireland | 23% |
| United Kingdom | 26.1% |
| Hungary | 28.5% |
It’s no secret that us Brits love a cooked dinner and a warm pint as our long dark winters leave us longing for something comforting to eat. It would appear as though this diet has taken its toll on the population as old blighty resides in second place on this list of shame. With a mighty 26.1% of the UK population tipping the scales to obese maybe it’s time we swapped our chicken doner and a few too many for a crisp leafy salad and a glass of water.
Across all EU countries 16.6% of the population is facing obesity and the health problems that come along with it, including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. According to The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (the OECD) this puts a whopping 52% of the current adult population at risk.
Time For A Change?
So is it time for Europe to dust off those trainers and get down the gym, or can we put it off another day? As much of this data was self-reported Europe might be a little slimmer than it first seems, as BMI (which was used to gauge obesity in this case) does not take in to account muscle mass or bone density when it calculates whether you’re tipping the scales or not. If you are concerned about your weight however, we would always suggest seeking advice from a GP before signing up for gym membership or drastically altering your diet.
