OBJECTIVE: The aim of the article is to report the prevalence of obesity, abdominal fatness and waist circumference in different socioeconomic classes in Curac Ë ao. DESIGN: In 1993/1994 a health interview survey (the Curac Ë ao Health Study) was carried out among a random sample (n 2248, response rate 85%) of the adult non-institutionalized population of Curac Ë ao. METHODS: We analyzed the association between obesity (BMI ! 30), abdominal fatness (waist hip ratio (WHR) ! 0.95 for men, WHR ! 0.80 for women) waist circumference (WC ! 100 cm for men, WC ! 91 cm for women) and socioeconomic status (SES) by age adjusted logistic regressions, for men and women separately. RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity was about 27%: 36% of the women and 19% of the men were obese. An at risk WHR was reported among 62.2% of the women and among 20.4% of the men. A WC above the cut-off point was reported for 44.3% women and 25.3% men. Compared to women of higher SES, the lower SES women have a two to three times higher risk of a BMI, WHR or WC exceeding the cut-off points. Among men, no statistically signi®cant difference between an increased BMI, WHR or WC and SES factors was found. The overlap between the three measures is large, about 56% of the women scored similarly on all three measurements. Among men the overlap is even greater (73%). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of obesity in Curac Ë ao is alarming. Low SES women are at the greatest risk of an increased BMI, WHR or WC. The obesity ®gures can be placed between industrialized societies and less modernized cultures. Action and additional research on the prevention of obesity in Curac Ë ao are deemed necessary. The cut-off points in our study for WC in the non-white population are preliminary and need to be elucidated further.