World’s most body confident countries revealed

Malta is known for its beautiful architecture and breathtaking coastline – and it turns out its people are happy with the way they look, too.

For a study has found Malta is the country with the highest levels of body confidence in the world.

In a global survey, researchers from Anglia Ruskin University quizzed more than 56,000 people from 65 nations about their body image.

Malta, Taiwan, Bangladesh and Kazakhstan topped the list as the most body confident countries.

At the other end of the table, Australia, India and the UK were revealed as the countries with the lowest levels of people who are confident about their figures.

World’s most body confident countries

Previous research has found a link between high levels of body appreciation and a range of positive wellbeing traits, including improved self-esteem and healthy eating habits.

However, until now, little research has looked at how body appreciation varies from country to country. To answer this question, the team enlisted 56,968 participants from 65 nations who were asked to rate how far they agreed with ten statements, including ‘I respect my body’, and ‘I appreciate the different and unique characteristics of my body.’

Overall, the results revealed that having a more positive body image was strongly associated with better psychological wellbeing and life satisfaction.

World’s most body confident countries

Professor Viren Swami, lead author of the study, said: ‘This is one of the largest studies on body image ever carried out, brought about by a collaborative research effort involving over 250 scientists across the world.

‘Our finding that greater body appreciation is associated with better psychological wellbeing highlights the importance of developing ways to promote more positive body image globally.’