How serious is France's obesity problem?
There's a popular misconception abroad that obesity is not a problem in France - whole books have even been written on this subject (such as the famous French Women Don't Get Fat).
In reality, however, not only is it a problem but one that the government considers requires a whole new campaign to tackle.
The French government on Monday announced plans to present an "obesity plan" in September 2025, which intends to address the health issue at several levels, including in education, health, sporting and medical contexts.
The junior health minister, Yannick Neuder, announced the plan alongside the health minister, Catherine Vautrin, during a visit to the production site of Danish pharmaceutical group, Novo Nordisk, in Chartres.
Weight loss drugs
The full details of the overall obesity plan will be revealed in September, but making the announcement the ministers referred to possible changes in the rules around weight-loss drugs in France.
Neuder referenced several possible ideas to tackle obesity in France, including expanding the power of general practitioners to prescribe two forms of weight-loss medication: Wegovy and Mounjaro.
While these medications have been available in French pharmacies since the end of 2024, only doctors who specialise in endocrinology, diabetology, and nutrition can prescribe them.
Neuder said the goal would be to allow GPs to prescribe these medications "before the summer".
Currently, the medications are not reimbursed by French social security, costing around €300 per month. However, France is in the process of negotiating prices for possible reimbursement, according to
Le Monde
.
Ozempic - which is a semaglutide like Wegovy/Mounjaro - can be prescribed by French GPs, but only to patients with diabetes. It is reimbursed by social security.
But how serious is the issue of obesity in France?
Despite
stereotypes about French women
never gaining weight and the healthiness of the French diet, obesity is a growing concern in France.
READ MORE:
Myth-busting: Are these 12 clichés about France actually true?
Nauder noted the need for the plan, as "obesity is a major cause of cardiovascular diseases, which cause 140,000 deaths in France per year."
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As for the numbers, a study from 2020 by researchers from Inserm and Montpellier University Hospital
found
that 47 percent of French adults were overweight, with more men (36.9 percent) than women (23.9 percent) affected.
Obesity differs from being overweight (
surpoids
). French health authorities define it as a BMI (body mass index, or
l'indice de masse corporelle, IMC
in French) over 30. In contrast, being 'overweight' is classified as having a BMI between 25 and 30.
According to the French health site
Ameli
, between 1997 and 2020, obesity significantly increased.
In 1997, 8.5 percent of adults were affected by obesity. As of 2020, that number had risen to 17 percent (17.4 percent of women and 16.7 percent of men).
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Demographics and geography
Since 1997, obesity amongst young people (aged 18 to 24) has increased more than fourfold, and among 25-34-year-olds it has increased nearly threefold.
During his speech, Nauder noted that "metabolic diseases, diabetes and obesity affect almost 20 percent of French children and adolescents".
People living in northern and north-eastern France are also most affected by obesity, with rates above 20 percent in these areas, in contrast to the Paris region and Pays de la Loire, where rates are below 14.5 percent.
Obesity levels are also higher amongst low-income groups. The Inserm study found that blue-collar workers (
ouvriers
) had an obesity rate of 18 percent, while 'managers' (
cadres
) had an average rate of 9.9 percent.
How does France compare to other countries?
Comparison can be tricky, as some countries' data is newer than others, but overall, in comparison to the United States and the UK, France has a lower average obesity rate.
In the US, based on a study from August 2021 to 2023 by the
CDC
, 40.3 percent of adults were considered to be obese. Meanwhile, in the UK, the government reported that based on data from 2022 and 2023, 26.2 percent of adults were living with obesity.
Amongst the EU member states, France has historically been among the countries with comparatively lower rates of obesity and overweight.
Based on available
BMI statistics
from 2022, France was among the three countries (along with Italy and Switzerland) with the lowest share of overweight people.
According to the
World Health Organisation's
European obesity report (based on data from 2016), Turkey, Malta and the UK had the highest rates of obesity. France was further down the list, with lower rates of obesity than the EU Member state average and below the EU 14 average.
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