Data agency Eurostat, which looked at 19 countries, found nearly a quarter of UK women – 23.9% – were recorded as being obese in the year 2008 to 2009.
Just over 22% of UK men were classed as obese, coming second only to Malta.
A person is defined as obese if their body mass index (BMI), the result of a calculation involving weight and height, is above a certain level.
The BMI correlates fairly well with body fat.
