Greece ranks among the European Union countries with the lowest levels of obesity, with 12.8% of adults classified as obese in 2025, according to Eurostat figures released Thursday.
The rate was well below the EU average of 16.3% and was the second lowest among member states, behind only Italy, where 7% of adults were classified as obese. Romania followed closely behind Greece, at 12.9%.
The figures put Greece 3.5 percentage points below the EU average, offering a relatively favorable picture in a region where obesity and excess weight remain significant public-health concerns.
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Across the EU, roughly one in six people aged 18 and older was obese in 2025. Eurostat defines obesity as having a body mass index, or BMI, of 30 or higher.
An additional 35.4% of EU adults were classified as “pre-obese,” with a BMI of between 25 and 30. Taken together, 51.7% of the EU’s adult population was above the normal-weight range, meaning that more than half of adults were either overweight or obese.
The data also point to a significant gender divide. Among men in the EU, 17.4% were obese, compared with 15.3% of women. The gap was considerably wider among those classified as pre-obese: 41.9% of men fell into that category, compared with 29.3% of women.
The pattern was reversed at the lower end of the weight spectrum. Some 2.9% of women were classified as underweight, compared with 1% of men.
Despite Greece’s relatively low obesity rate, the EU figures show substantial differences among member states.
Malta had the bloc’s highest obesity rate, with 26.6% of its adult population classified as obese—more than double Greece’s level. Latvia ranked second at 24.6%, followed by Finland at 23.2%.
At the other end of the table, Italy stood out with an obesity rate of just 7%, followed by Greece at 12.8% and Romania at 12.9%.
The wide gap between countries underscores the uneven prevalence of obesity across the EU. While Greece sits near the bottom of the European rankings, the broader data show that excess weight remains the norm rather than the exception across the bloc, affecting more than half of its adult population.
