56 percent of all adults and around 20 percent of children in the Nordic region are overweight or obese, according to the Nordic Council of Ministers' report that has now been released. Overweight is also increasing in Sweden, although the average here is somewhat lower than in the Nordic region in general.
We are on the verge of becoming a sedentary and overweight population, says Sisse Fagt, senior advisor at the Technical University of Denmark.
She has led the work on the report , which is based on interviews and surveys with residents of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland.
Fruit on ice
The results show that we eat more red meat and sweetened products than ten years ago, and we also eat less fruit, vegetables and whole grains. The fact that fruit and vegetable consumption is decreasing surprised Sisse Fagt, who believes that messages about what we should eat are not enough.
It needs to become easier to make healthy choices, it could involve changing taxes on different products, she says.
She mentions that, on the contrary, there are plans for reduced taxes on chocolate, among other things, in Denmark.
Heléne Enghardt Barbieri, investigator at the Swedish National Food Administration and Sweden's representative in the work, also believes that measures are needed to facilitate healthy choices.
"If you're waiting for the train, it's candy, not fruit, that's easiest to buy. Efforts are needed from both the authorities, the food industry and the rest of society," she says.
Costs society
Social differences in lifestyle habits were already large at the time of the last report in 2014 and continue to be so. Groups with lower levels of education have reported poorer eating habits and higher rates of overweight and obesity in all Nordic countries.
"The way we eat today is putting a strain on both the environment and human health. If we continue as we are now, it will cost society a lot in terms of healthcare," says Sisse Fagt.
The data is based on telephone interviews and online surveys from around 1,000 randomly selected adults and parents of 500 children from each country. The data is self-reported, which is a weakness.
But people tend to state that they are taller and weigh less than they actually are, so it probably looks worse than the report shows, says Sisse Fagt.
About Sweden:
According to the sample, in Sweden we drink slightly less sugar-sweetened beverages and alcohol, lower than the average for the Nordic region. However, the intake of whole grain bread and fish is lower than the average and we eat less and less fruit and vegetables.
Overweight and obesity among adults are increasing, but the proportion is slightly lower in Sweden than in the Nordic countries on average.
Smoking remains at a low level, but snus use is increasing.
Consumption of fruit and vegetables decreased from 2.7 times a day in 2014 to 2.1 times a day in 2024.
In Sweden we eat meat an average of 5.2 times a week. Denmark and Finland topped the list with 7.1 and 7.0 times a week respectively.
23.5 percent of adults surveyed in Sweden spend over 4 hours of free time in front of a screen.
The report is based on telephone interviews and online surveys from around 1,000 adults and 500 children from each country.
Source: Normo 2025
