In 2018, 16 percent of all children and young people in the Netherlands aged 2 to 24 years were overweight. This applied to nearly one-quarter of young adults (18 to 24 years). In the period 2016-2018, three in ten overweight young adults stated they were unhappy about their weight. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this on the basis of new figures for the Youth Monitor.
In the group 2 to 24-year-olds, 12.8 percent were moderately overweight, while 3.0 percent had severe overweight (obesity), based on their body mass index (BMI). The total share - 15.8 percent of children and young adults - is higher than in 2000, when it was still 12.5 percent.
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.
Overweight 2 to 24-year-olds, 2018
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
Overweight 2 to 24-year-olds, 2018
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.
Satisfaction with weight, 18 to 24-year-olds, 2016-2018
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
Satisfaction with weight, 18 to 24-year-olds, 2016-2018
