Obesity statistics

Obesity is a medical condition marked by body mass index being higher than 30Kg/m2, meaning that the excess body fat has accumulated up to that point that there is a significant health risk for the individual. Thus, obesity shouldn’t be equated to being overweight, although the two are often closely related since these conditions can differ significantly in terms of risks and dangers for the one’s health and wellbeing. While official data from 2008 shows that around 50% of Europeans are overweight, only 20% can be classified as obese. Speaking of European Union member states, specific obesity statistics place the percentage of overweight people at 30 to 70% of the adult population, and obese people at 10 to 30% of the adult population.¹

What’s on this page?

While obesity statistics for children aren’t as precise or detailed, latest estimates indicate that obesity in children is steadily on the rise since the last decade of the previous century. This fact is rather concerning as more than 60% of children who are overweight will be overweight in adulthood too, with a significantly higher risk of developing obesity.

But, since being overweight and obesity are different conditions, it might be important to highlight the differences between them. The most important distinction is the fact that obesity is a medical condition marked by numerous health risks and possible complications, while someone can be classified as being overweight when one’s body mass index is higher than the ideal value, indicating a presence of excess body fat which might not cause any further medical problems or complications.

What is Body Mass Index?

Body mass index also called Quetelet Index or BMI for short, is a measurement obtained by dividing a person’s weight by the square of the person’s height and expressed in units of Kg/m2 resulting from height being measured in meters and body mass in kilograms. Aside from calculating its value, body mass index can also be derived from a table or chart which displays body mass index as a function of mass and height, using contour lines to indicate the borders between different BMI categories.

The body mass index is used in attempts to give an estimate of the amount of tissue mass in an individual and use the result in order to classify that person in one of four commonly used categories – underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese. While there is an on-going debate among the experts about the exact BMI values that separate categories, there is some consensus about the rough estimates:

However, it’s important to mention that the values provided here aren’t universal, but are average body mass index ranges for people of European descent. The scientists emphasise that there are significant differences when it comes to body mass index for people of Asian descent since they have different associations between BMI, the percentage of body fat, and health risks than those of European descent.

Prevalence of obesity statistics

Today, more than one in two adults and more than one in six children are overweight or obese, with between 2.9 and 4.4 million children being obese, just in the EU alone. However, this number is not static – the most up-to-date studies show that there is a rapid increase in obesity prevalence, although Europe is lagging some 10 or 15 years behind the US.

For Europe, the annual increase in obesity prevalence is around 2%, which is a staggering increase from the 0.2% in the 1970s, 0.2-0.6% in the 1980s and 0.3-0.8% in the 1980s. If this trend continues, within the next decade, there will be around 20 million overweight children out of which 5 million will be obese in Europe alone, and that is despite a decline in the European population of children.

Dangers of obesity statistics

Obesity is, alongside smoking, one of the leading preventable causes of death globally with one million of deaths in Europe being attributed to excess weight (around 7.7% of total deaths annually). Obesity is known to increase the risk of numerous serious medical conditions and complications, including cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer as well as osteoarthritis, depression and asthma.

Studies have shown that up to 35% of ischemic heart diseases can be attributed to obesity in Europe² with 11% of heart attacks in men and 16% in women having the same cause. Obesity statistics thus clearly point to a direct link between this condition and some of the most serious cardiovascular problems. For example, more than 85% of patients affected with high blood pressure are also overweight, with the risk of hypertension increasing for obese people up to five times, as compared for those with normal body mass index.

Aside from having a direct impact on the health and functionality of the heart, obesity is also directly connected with abnormal cholesterol levels, with increased LDL cholesterol (also known as bad cholesterol) and decreased HDL or good cholesterol. Furthermore, obesity increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism by up to 2.3 times.

Other studies highlight maybe the most well-known effect of obesity and that is diabetes, specifically, type 2 diabetes. This disease is directly linked to obesity since up to 90% of those suffering from that condition are also overweight.

Obesity treatment statistics

To end this short overview of the obesity statistics on a more positive note, we can mention that while serious, this medical condition can be successfully treated, and even without any method other than changes in lifestyle, including healthier dieting habits and physical activity, such as exercise.

The latest studies have shown that just two hours of moderate to intensive aerobic physical activity weekly can reduce the risk of ischaemic heart disease by up to 30%, the risk of diabetes by 27% and the risk of breast and colon cancers by 21 and 25% respectively. However, surveys indicate that more than one-third of the population is insufficiently physically active, so the benefits of this simple obesity treatment are still largely underused. What’s more, with increasing reliance on automated machines and labour-saving technology at home and at work, this trend is unlikely to change.

References: