Obesity tripled in Netherlands in 40 years

Last year, 16 percent of people over 20 in the Netherlands were obese or seriously overweight, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS). That is three times as many as about 40 years ago, notes the organization, which collaborated with the RIVM health institute for the Health Survey/Lifestyle Monitor.

The Body Mass Index (BMI), a calculation of weight and height, can be used to determine whether someone is overweight. An adult is overweight with a BMI of 25 or higher. A BMI of 25 to 30 is considered moderately overweight. With a BMI of 30 or higher, someone is seriously overweight or obese. A BMI of 40 is called morbid obesity and is seriously life-threatening. In 2023, 1 percent of Netherlands residents were morbidly obese.

In total, 51 percent of all Dutch people aged 20 and older were overweight to some degree in 2023. At the beginning of the 1980s, that was still 33 percent.

The share of obese people also increased more than the share of moderately overweight people. There is less obesity in the Netherlands than in most EU countries, CBS and RIVM reported.