In 2022, 28% of women and 35% of men in Croatia were obese, an increase of 15% and 24% respectively in the last 30 years. The proportion of obese children has also risen significantly, according to a study published in the medical journal Lancet.

In terms of the proportion of obese men, Croatia ranks third among Central and South-East European countries, after Romania with 38% and Hungary with 36%. In global terms, Croatia is in 25th place.

In terms of obese women, Croatia ranks 88th worldwide and third in Central and South-Eastern Europe, also after Romania with 32% and Hungary with 29%.

The study covered 222 million respondents in 190 countries between 1992 and 2022 and the results were published on Monday to mark World Obesity Day, which is celebrated on 4 March. They show that obesity among adults has more than doubled in these 30 years.

These results emphasise the urgency of implementing comprehensive strategies and policies that address the causes and consequences of obesity, said Bojan Jelakovic from KBC Hospital Zagreb, who led the Croatian group of scientists who participated in the Lancet study on chronic, non-infectious diseases, including obesity.

It is also necessary to raise awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle, he added.

As for children and adolescents, 7.2% of girls and 11.3% of boys were obese in Croatia in 2022, which is 3.9% and 6.3% more than in 1992, respectively.

Worldwide, Croatia ranks 110th for obese girls and 103rd for obese boys, while in Central and South-Eastern Europe it ranks eighth for both. In the latter group of countries, Hungary ranks first.

Globally, obesity in children and adolescents quadrupled between 1992 and 2022.