Obesity Rate In Iceland Highest In Europe, Says OECD

A bar chart that the OECD posted on their Facebook page shows that the obesity rate in Iceland is the highest in Europe, Vísir reports.

As the new year approaches and many people set goals for fat loss and fitness gains, the OECD has provided some hard facts when it comes to where European countries rank in terms of obesity. It is often remarked that the UK (where the majority of adults are overweight or obese) is a country firmly in the grip of an obesity epidemic, so it might be surprising to see that Iceland that tops the list for having the highest rate of obesity in Europe.

The OECD survey shows that 27% of adults in Iceland are obese, meaning they have a BMI of 30.0 or higher. Malta follows close behind at 26%, with Lithuania and the UK in joint-third place with 21%. Switzerland, Italy, and Romania are the lowest-scoring countries, with 11%, 11%, and 10% respectively.

Worldwide, a variety of nations are facing high rates of obesity. In fact, Nauru is the state which ranks highest worldwide for obesity, and they’re the smallest sovereign state in the world after Vatican City. Contributing factors to obesity may include genetic as well as socio-economic factors, and there are a variety of medical opinions on both the risks of obesity, as well as the accuracy of a system such as BMI for determining overall health since it does not include factors such as muscle mass and bone density.

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