Another Brexit myth exploded - No, the UK is NOT ‘the fattest nation in Europe’

This might make the Maltese cross, but they weigh in at No.1 – five places above the UK

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2022

When it comes to being merely ‘overweight’ rather than ‘obese’, the UK is down in 15th place

Many readers may have gained the impression that the UK has the most overweight population in Europe, but this is not true.

We may ‘punch above our weight’ globally, but in an EU comparison we only come in 6th in the ‘obesity’ index and 15th in the ‘overweight’ index.

In today’s report we deflate the bloated claims about our weight, using the latest official statistics from the EU Commission.

Firstly, what’s the difference between being ‘overweight’ and being ‘obese’?

As most readers will know, an individual’s weight classification is based on their ‘Body Mass Index’ or ‘BMI’. BMI is defined as the weight in kilos divided by the square of the height in metres.

People aged 18 years or over are considered ‘obese’ with a BMI equal to or greater than 30. In the figures that follow, the category ‘overweight’ (with a BMI equal to or greater than 25) combines the two categories ‘pre-obese’ and ‘obese’.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

Obesity and being ‘overweight’ – the UK compared to the EU

1. Obesity – the UK is in 6th place when compared to EU27 countries

Malta : 28.7%
Hungary : 24.5%
Croatia : 23.0%
Latvia : 23.0%
Estonia : 21.8%
United Kingdom : 21.0%
Finland : 20.9%
Slovenia : 19.9%
Czechia : 19.8%
Slovakia : 19.7%
Germany : 19.0%
Poland : 19.0%
Lithuania : 18.9%
Portugal : 17.7%
Austria : 17.1%

[Source: Latest European Commission official data, released June 2022.]

2. Being ‘overweight’ – the UK is down in 15th place

Croatia : 64.8%
Malta : 64.8%
Czechia : 60.0%
Hungary : 59.9%
Finland : 59.0%
Romania : 58.7%
Slovakia : 58.7%
Latvia : 58.3%
Poland : 58.1%
Slovenia : 58.1%
Greece : 57.6%
Ireland : 57.1%
Lithuania : 56.8%
Estonia : 56.7%
United Kingdom : 56.1%

[Source: Latest European Commission official data, released June 2022.]

Does it matter if we’re overweight?

In simple terms, the more overweight we are, the more likely we are to die of other causes. This was most recently seen in ‘deaths from Covid’, for example.

The statistics become scarier as we get older. Around three-quarters of those aged 45-74 in England are overweight or obese.

There is also a growing problem with our young people. One in seven children in England is obese by the age of five, rising to one in four by the age of 11.

Observations

We make no value judgements here. Some of the Facts4EU.Org team will readily admit they are overweight – and one will admit she is underweight. They are all equally valuable and hard-working.

It might seem frivolous to some readers to assess the statistics across Europe, but there is a real impact on health services, productivity, and the quality of people’s lives when it comes to our weight.

All of us build impressions over time. One such impression we had was that the United Kingdom was “the fat man of Europe”. We therefore decided to grill the official data to see what was served up.

As with so many other things, the data showed that the impression given to people is false. Yes, increasing obesity is a problem – particularly in children – but the UK is in the mid-range when it comes to being ‘overweight’.

After researching this report, some members of the Facts4EU.Org are now going for a brisk early morning walk…

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[ Sources: EU Commission | House of Commons Library ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Thurs 04 Aug 2022

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Reader Comments 5

1. John Patrick , Thursday, August 04, 2022, 10:09:

It's interesting to note that the poorer countries are heading the table.

2. jon livesey , Thursday, August 04, 2022, 15:54:

OK, this is good news, but I think there is an opportunity here. How do you motivate a country to reduce weight without going through all the dirigiste and sick-making antics the EU would apply to the problem?
If there is a win to Brexit in private life it is *not* to be subject to Nanny Ursula and her plastic smile and not to have to endure some nosy EU "scheme". So how do we come up with a means of reducing overweight, which would have a beneficial effect on the NHS, that Is consistent with personal liberty, freedom and British private life. How do we drop even further down this table without imitating yet another EU "directive"? How do you motivate people to do the right thing for their health in a country that is aiming for authentic freedom for the citizen?
How do you get people to do good things for themselves without extending the reach pf Government?

3. Derek Lund , Thursday, August 04, 2022, 18:49:

2. jon livesey; I've just found the bullet points below from a section in an obesity statistics report in the House of Commons library. They give the factors at play in the uneven distribution of obesity across the country. Perhaps the 4th point, education, answers your question. Having seen how my grandchildren come in from school and go straight to the cupboard containing crisps, cake and chocolate biscuits I would add another factor: discipline !! Despite the UK's better position in the EU league table the Ho of Com report makes worrying reading.
• Deprivation: in the most deprived areas in England, prevalence of excess weight is 13 percentage points higher than the least deprived areas
• Disability: among people with disabilities, excess weight is 11 percentage points higher than among those without disabilities.
• Ethnicity: Black people have the highest rates of excess weight, and White British people have higher rates of excess weight than all other ethnic groups except Black.
• Education: among people with no qualifications, rates of excess weight are 12 percentage points higher than among people with level 4 qualifications or higher (i.e. a degree).

4. Nice Try , Saturday, August 06, 2022, 17:58:

I see what you're doing:
You wrote this article 2 days before another entitled: Seven out of ten are NOT spending less on food and essentials
....because the obvious answer backed by correlating data would be that almost 70% of men & 60% of UK women are infact clinically obese.
If those people spent less, then they wouldn't be obese.
Both statistics can be paraded individually to portray a slimmer, healthier symmetry but in combination we see the full fat of the land layed bare.
So while you may try the illusion of comparative percentages & some will readily accept them without question - just like they did Brexit.
Some will laugh & say nice try.
The reality is, we're an aging, obese, isolated, importing island - which no longer has an empire or many friends nearby.
The security implications that arises when more than 2 thirds of the male populace are obese was laid out by
Lieutenant General Mark Hertling US Army, in a ground-breaking Ted talk about how obesity is a national security risk. Not a status symbol.
He did this in 2012. Had we taken notice then, maybe we'd be fixing this instead of glorifying it. That was about the time the Tories took office.
A reasonable statement would be that we are like a sitting duck getting fattened for Xmas.

5. Helen , Sunday, August 07, 2022, 17:21:

Nice Try, nobody is interested in what you've got to say. Write it down on a paper to get it out of your system and then burn it.

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