Obesity in Poland: rates, causes and where to get help

How common is obesity in Poland?

Just over one adult in five in Poland lives with obesity: the latest WHO estimate is 21.8%. That equals roughly 6.8 million adults and puts Poland 104th of 196 countries, in the middle of the European table.

Unlike in most of the world, obesity in Poland is clearly more common in men. The WHO puts the rate at 25.7% for men and 17.6% for women, a gap of eight percentage points.

For children and teens aged 5 to 19, the rate is 9.8%. Here the gap between the sexes is even wider: 12.9% of boys against 6.4% of girls.

What do Polish studies show?

Under the National Health Programme, researchers measured the height, weight and waist of 3,735 Polish adults. They found that 56.6% had a BMI above 25, meaning they were living with overweight or obesity.

Waist measurements revealed a different side of the story. Abdominal obesity, where fat collects around the belly, affected 31.7% of adults and was far more common in women (44.3%) than in men (18.0%). Around 60% of women over 55 had abdominal obesity.

So although men more often have a high BMI, many Polish women carry health risks around the waist that BMI alone misses. Our page on BMI and waist size explains why both numbers matter.

A study for the Ministry of Health, carried out by the Institute of Mother and Child, weighed and measured more than 2,000 eight-year-olds in over a hundred schools. It found that 35.3% were overweight, including 16.8% with obesity. Among boys, obesity was close to 20%.

How has obesity in Poland changed since 1990?

Adult obesity in Poland has risen from 14.1% in 1990 to 21.8% today. The biggest increase came in the first two decades, and the rate has continued to creep up slowly since then.

The change has been very different for men and women. Among men, obesity more than doubled, from 11.1% to 25.7%. Among women it rose only from 16.6% to 17.6%, after peaking at 19.4%. In 1990, Polish women were more affected than men; today the pattern is reversed.

Children saw the steepest rise of all. In 1990, 2.7% of Polish children and teens lived with obesity; today it is 9.8%. For boys the rate went from 3.3% to 12.9%, almost four times higher.

The National Health Fund (NFZ) reports that the average BMI of Polish adults rose by nearly two points over two decades. Its forecasts warn that more than 35% of adult men and more than 25% of adult women could live with obesity by 2035 if trends continue.

Why is obesity rising in Poland?

Obesity in Poland is shaped by income, education, place of residence and changing daily routines. The general science is on our page about the causes of obesity; below is what Polish data show.

Rural areas and less education

In the National Health Programme study, the person most likely to live with obesity was a rural resident aged 65 to 74, married or in a partnership, with primary, lower secondary or vocational education. Men were about 28% more likely than women to have overweight or obesity, and the odds rose with age.

A study of national survey data from neighbouring Ukraine found that villagers were more likely than city dwellers to live with obesity, and its author noted that this matches earlier findings from Poland. In both countries, excess weight is no longer mainly a city problem.

Sugary drinks and sweets

Sweet drinks add energy without making people feel full. An analysis by the Sobieski Institute, a Polish think tank, points to research linking sugary drinks to excess calorie intake and to the development of obesity, and notes that the problem does not spare Poland.

In the Institute of Mother and Child study, almost a quarter of parents (23%) said their child was eating sweets more often than before the pandemic.

Screens and less movement

The same study found that 44% of parents saw their child spending more time in front of screens on weekdays, and 37% more at weekends. Remote schooling during the pandemic also worsened children's physical and mental health, according to Poland's Supreme Audit Office.

The institute's director called the pandemic's effect on children's health behaviour a priority for corrective action. Our page on obesity in children gives families practical ideas without blame.

What does obesity mean for health in Poland?

In Poland, the health costs of obesity show up most clearly in diabetes. According to the NFZ, about 3.3 million people a year use reimbursed diabetes medicines or blood glucose test strips, and on average around 110,000 new patients are added each year.

The NFZ estimates that treating conditions linked to obesity costs it at least 3.8 billion złoty a year. These include type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, knee replacement surgery for worn joints, sleep apnoea and fatty liver disease.

Poland's national consultant for family medicine has said that the system focuses on treating these complications, and that treating obesity too late, or not at all, is very costly. Our overview of the health risks of obesity explains how these conditions are connected.

What is Poland doing about obesity?

Poland combines a tax-like fee on sweet drinks with publicly funded specialist care for severe obesity. These are the measures we could verify.

The sugar fee on sweetened drinks

Poland charges a fee, often called the sugar tax, on drinks with added sugar or sweeteners. It has a fixed part of 0.50 złoty per litre for drinks with up to 5 g of sugar per 100 ml or with any sweeteners, plus 0.05 złoty for every extra gram of sugar above 5 g.

The fee is capped at 1.20 złoty per litre. About 96.5% of the money goes to the National Health Fund, so it directly supports health care.

Because the fee rises with sugar content and also covers artificially sweetened drinks, it encourages manufacturers to reduce sugar without simply switching to sweeteners. Economists note that it is one useful step, but cannot solve obesity on its own.

KOS-BAR: team care for severe obesity

KOS-BAR is a national programme of comprehensive specialist care for people with severe obesity, funded by the NFZ. Besides bariatric surgery, it offers dietitian advice and psychological support from a team of specialists.

By the latest NFZ count, about 5,500 patients had been treated in 19 centres, and the Ministry of Health has said the programme will continue. Bariatric operations are also carried out outside the programme.

Free online eating plans

The NFZ runs a free online diet portal used by around 900,000 people. It includes an eating plan based on the DASH diet, designed specifically for people living with overweight and obesity.

Where can you get help for obesity in Poland?

In Poland, the first step is usually your primary care doctor, known as a lekarz POZ, within the public health system funded by the NFZ. The Polish Society for the Treatment of Obesity (Polskie Towarzystwo Leczenia Otyłości, PTLO) has issued clinical recommendations that describe the family doctor's central role in diagnosing obesity and planning care.

Those recommendations treat obesity as a chronic disease. They see nutrition, physical activity and psychological support as core parts of treatment, with specialist options for people who need more.

Your doctor can check your weight, waist, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, and refer you to a specialist clinic or to KOS-BAR if your obesity is severe. Bring our doctor visit checklist to make the most of the visit.

Weight is a sensitive topic. If a conversation about your weight left you feeling judged, read our page on weight stigma; it may help you put into words what you need from your care.

How does Poland compare with the world and Europe?

Poland's adult obesity rate of 21.8% is about a third higher than the world average of 16.2%. For children and teens, 9.8% is also above the world figure of 8.2%.

Within Central Europe, Poland sits at the lower end. Czechia (26.3%), Slovakia (26.1%), Hungary (31.4%) and Romania (32.4%) all have higher rates. Germany (20.6%) and Lithuania (21.3%) are close to Poland.

The pattern of men being much more affected than women is shared with most of Central Europe and stands in contrast to Ukraine, where women are more affected. Compare all countries on our obesity by country page.

How can Obesity Foundation help people in Poland?

We help people lose weight and become healthier with good food, suitable exercise and regular walking. Everything we offer is free and online.

Always talk to your doctor first before you change your eating or start new exercise, especially if you have diabetes, high blood pressure or joint problems.

• Simple home cooking: our free eating plan uses everyday foods such as vegetables, soups, wholegrain bread, groats, fish and lean meat in sensible portions.
• Swap the sweet drinks: water, unsweetened tea, kefir or fruit instead of fizzy drinks make cutting sugar easier.
• Walk more: our walking plan works in town and village alike, in every season.
• Gentle exercise: our low impact cardio sessions protect knees and hips.
• Personal support: book a free video meeting (in English), join our club and use our free calculators.

Three small first steps

Big plans often stall in the second week, so we suggest starting with changes you hardly notice. First, take a walk of ten to fifteen minutes after your main meal on most days. Over a month, that alone adds several hours of gentle movement.

Second, look at what you drink. Many Poles already know the sugar fee has made sweet drinks dearer; switching them for water or unsweetened tea saves money as well as sugar. Third, fill half of your dinner plate with vegetables, raw or cooked, before adding potatoes, groats or meat.

Measure your waist once a month as well as your weight. Because so many Polish women carry extra fat around the belly even with a moderate BMI, a shrinking waist is often the first sign that your new habits are working.

To understand obesity as a chronic condition rather than a question of willpower, read what is obesity.