Obesity in Albania: A Growing Concern as Eurostat Reports Over 56% Overweight Population

  In 2022, the percentage of individuals aged 16 and over considered overweight (pre-obese and obese) in the European Union reached 50.6%, according to the latest data from Eurostat. Albania, as part of Europe, has a high rate of overweight individuals, with 56.5% of its population aged 16 and over considered overweight. This places Albania 11th in Europe, with one of the highest levels of obesity, marked in blue on the map.

  Share of overweight people aged 16 years or over, 2022, source EUROSTAT

The most overweight people in Europe are the Maltese, with 62% of the population considered overweight. They are followed by Finland (59.5%), Latvia (59.2%), Romania (58.9%), Lithuania (58.5%), Poland (57.8%), Hungary (57.5%), Slovakia (57.5%), Croatia (57.2%), Turkey (57.1%), and then Albania (56.5%).

On the other hand, the most "elegant" countries in Europe, with the lowest obesity rates, are Italy (41.3%), followed by Switzerland (45.2%) and France (45.4%).

In the region, Montenegro leads in terms of elegance, with one of the lowest obesity rates in Europe (47%). Serbia has a rate of 51.8%, while data for other Balkan countries is missing. North Macedonia had a rate of 55 in 2017.

Men in Albania Are More Overweight Than Women

Albanian men appear to be much less mindful of their weight compared to women. According to Eurostat, 62.3% of Albanian men over 16 are considered overweight, one of the highest rates in Europe. The most overweight men are found in Malta and Slovakia (69.4%), while the most "elegant" men are in France (51.5%).

Half of Albanian women (50.9%) are considered overweight, according to Eurostat data.

The "elegant" women of Europe are the Italians (31.3%) and Montenegrins (34.6%).

The most overweight women are in Latvia (56.7%) and Turkey (55.2%).

BMI and Obesity Measurement

Eurostat measures obesity based on the Body Mass Index (BMI), a convenient method used to categorize individuals based on their body composition (muscles, fat, and bones) and height.

The BMI measures the percentage of people who are obese based on their body mass index. Individuals aged 18 and over are considered obese with a BMI of 30 or higher.

Other categories include: underweight (BMI less than 18.5), normal weight (BMI between 18.5 and less than 25), and pre-obese (BMI between 25 and less than 30). The "overweight" category combines both pre-obese and obese individuals, defined as having a BMI of 25 or greater.