50.1% of European Union adults, and one in every seven children are overweight or obese, a report published today by the EU Commission and the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) informs. The United Kingdom has the highest rates of adult obesity/overweight in Europe, followed by Ireland and then Malta.

The authors say that obesity rates in the 27-member European Union countries have more than doubled during the last two decades.

There is no evidence that the current increase in overweight/obesity prevalence is set to stop or slow down, they add.

The report explains that physical activity among European children tends to drop significantly between the ages of 11 and 15 years. Only 20% of children exercise regularly.

A child who is overweight or obese has a considerably higher risk of suffering from health problems during adulthood, such as asthma, arthritis, heart disease, sleep apnea, and several cancers.

John Dalli, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, said:

    “In order to reverse the growing trend in obesity and other health problems in the EU we need reliable and up-to-date data to underpin the action we take as policymakers. This is where the Health at a Glance report makes such an important contribution and shall be a useful tool in the coming months and years.”

The report, called Health at a Glance – Europe 2010 has considerable implications for costs of healthcare. As overweight and obesity rates rise, so do the healthcare costs. The report quotes a recent British study which predicted a 70% increase in healthcare costs caused by the rise in obesity/overweight between 2007 and 2015.

Health expenditure as a percentage of GDP (gross domestic product) in the European Union increased from 7.3% in 1998 to 8.3% in 2008.

According to the WHO (World Health Organization), a normal-weight person has a BMI of between 20 and 25, overweight BMI is between 25 and 30, while obesity is over 30.

Obesity rates in Europe (obesity only, BMI of 30 or more), according to the new report:

  • United Kingdom – 24.5%
  • Ireland – 23%
  • Malta – 22.3%
  • Luxembourg – 20.1%
  • Lithuania – 20%
  • Hungary – 19.7%
  • Greece – 18.1%
  • Estonia – 18%
  • Czech Rep. – 17.1%
  • Latvia – 16.9%
  • Slovakia – 16.9%
  • Slovenia – 16.9%
  • Finland – 15.7%
  • Cyprus – 15.6%
  • EU AVERAGE – 15.5%
  • Portugal – 15.4%
  • Turkey – 15.2%
  • Spain – 14.9%
  • Belgium – 13.8%
  • Germany – 13.6%
  • Poland – 12.5%
  • Austria – 12.4%
  • Bulgaria – 11.5%
  • Denmark – 11.4%
  • France – 11.2%
  • Netherlands – 11.1%
  • Sweden – 10.2%
  • Norway – 10%
  • Italy – 9.9%
  • Switzerland – 8.1%
  • Romania – 7.9%

The EU obesity average of 15.5% is still far behind the USA, which is well over 30%. Even so, European Health authorities are extremely concerned.

“Health at a Glance: Europe 2010”
Pages : 128
ISBN : 9789264090316 (PDF) ; 9789264090309 (print)
DOI : 10.1787/health_glance-2010-en

Written by Christian Nordqvist