October 21, 2016.
According to figures published Thursday, October 20 by the statistical office Eurostat, 1 in 6 Europeans is in a situation of obesity.
1 in 4 Maltese is obese
Obesity is a disease that affects nearly 600 million people around the world. Europeans are no exception. 15.9% of the European population is obese and 51.6% are overweight, according to the latest figures from the Eurostat statistical office. But not all countries have the same proportion of obese people in its territory.
Malta has the highest concentration of obese people : 26% of people over 18 are affected. This represents a little more than 1 in 4 Maltese. Latvia, Hungary, Estonia and the United Kingdom are also affected by obesity: these countries have on average just over 20% of obese people.
France in the European average
On the other hand, other countries are much less affected, like Romania. There, only 9.4% of the population is affected. Italy and the Netherlands with 10.7% and 13.3% respectively of obese people are also good students. As for France, it is very slightly below the European average with 15.3% of its population affected by obesity..
Eurostat points out that the lower the education level, the greater the risk of becoming obese. 19.9% of Europeans with a low level of education are considered obese. They are only 11.5% among the most qualified. In France, 20.9% of people with a low level of education are considered obese, against 8.8% among the most educated. This represents a significant difference.
For more information: Better understand obesity
