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Statistics Netherlands
body positivity
Thursday, 26 August 2021 - 13:40

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Obese NL residents more often happy with their weight

It is increasingly common for Netherlands residents who are seriously overweight to be satisfied with how much they weigh. However, they are still less positive about their weight than average. This was reported by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

Between 2018 and 2020, an average of 26 percent of severely overweight adults were satisfied with how much they weighed. In the three years before that, it was still 22 percent. More than half of people who are moderately overweight think positively when they step on the scale. This percentage also increased. On average, two out of three Dutch people are content with their weight.

Men are more positive about how much they weigh than women. Moreover, a relatively large number of elderly and young people are also satisfied with their weight.

Last year, 37 percent of the Dutch population was moderately and 14 percent seriously overweight. That has hardly changed in the past five years. Statistics Netherlands asked people to state their height and weight. On the basis of this, the researchers calculated their BMI (Body Mass Index), a measure of underweight or overweight.

Reporting by ANP

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