One-quarter of young adults are overweight

Overweight is most prevalent among children and young people with a non-western migration background (25.1 percent) and among 18 to 24-year-olds (24 percent). Young people with a non-western migration background have higher obesity rates than young people without a migration background. There is no difference between boys and girls in terms of the prevalence of overweight.
Moderately overweight (%) | Severely overweight (%) | |
---|---|---|
Total | 12.8 | 3 |
Age | ||
2 to 8 yrs | 8.1 | 3.8 |
9 to 17 yrs | 9.5 | 2.3 |
18 to 24 yrs | 20.8 | 3.3 |
Background | ||
Native Dutch | 11.4 | 2.4 |
Western | 10.3 | 3.6 |
Non-western | 19.6 | 5.5 |
Three in ten overweight young adults dissatisfied
In a survey conducted from 2016 to 2018 inclusive, 67 percent of young adults - aged 18 to 24 years - responded they were satisfied with their body weight, while 11 percent said they were dissatisfied. At 29 percent, the share of overweight young adults with a negative body image is higher than among those with a healthy body weight (5 percent). Dissatisfaction is greater among young women than among young men.Satisfied (%) | Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied (%) | Dissatisfied (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Healthy weight | |||
Total | 78 | 17 | 5 |
Women | 72 | 22 | 7 |
Men | 83 | 13 | 3 |
Overweight | |||
Total | 35 | 36 | 29 |
Women | 23 | 36 | 41 |
Men | 46 | 36 | 18 |
Related items
- News release - 1 in 5 obese adults satisfied with body weight
- Youth Monitor - Home