Some 40% of the Dutch were overweight in 2012, but that figure has been stable since 2009, the central statistics agency says on Tuesday.

Of the 40% who are overweight, one in ten is obese.

Until 2009, the number of people with weight problems rose quickly from just over 25% of the population in the early 1980s. The number has now stabilised.

Obsesity in particular can cause diabetes, high blood pressure, joint problems and heart disease, the CBS says.

An adult is overweight with a body mass index above 25 and obese when that figure is over 30.