More than half of the population in Germany is overweight. In 2025, approximately 53.4 percent of adults were overweight, according to figures released Tuesday by the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden. Men were significantly more likely to be overweight than women. Nearly two-thirds of men (62.6 percent) were overweight last year. Among women, the figure was 43.8 percent.
Overweight status is determined using the Body Mass Index (BMI), which is calculated by dividing body weight by the square of body height. The World Health Organization classifies adults with a BMI over 25 as overweight and those with a BMI over 30 as severely overweight.
According to the data, 17.9 percent of people in Germany were classified as severely overweight or obese. Among men, 19.9 percent were severely overweight, while among women, the figure was 15.8 percent.
At the same time, people in Germany have become slightly heavier on average in recent years. The average person weighs 78.3 kilograms and is 1.73 meters tall. Four years earlier, the average weight was still 77.7 kilograms. Women are on average 1.66 meters tall and weigh 69.7 kilograms, while men are 1.79 meters tall and weigh 86.5 kilograms.
Looking at age groups, women and men aged 50 to 59 are the heaviest on average, at 81.3 kilograms. In contrast, 18- to 24-year-olds are the lightest, at 72.5 kilograms.
The data is based on the so-called Microcensus 2025, the largest annual household survey in Germany. Approximately one percent of the population was surveyed.
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