Abstract Objective The purpose of the present research was to investigate the epidemiological profile of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and to explore its potential dietary, behavioural and socio-economic determinants among European adults residing in Luxembourg. Design Cross-sectional, population-based ORISCAV-LUX survey. Setting European adults aged 18–69 years residing in Luxembourg. Subjects A total of 1349 Europid adults, who participated in the ORISCAV-LUX survey, were included in the study. The prevalence of MetS was estimated according to the Revised-Adult Treatment Panel (R-ATPIII) criteria. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the dietary, behavioural and socio-economic factors independently associated with MetS. Results The overall prevalence of MetS was 24·7 % with significant gender difference (18·5 % for women v . 30·8 % for men, P < 0·0001). Age, male gender, primary level of education, physical inactivity, family history of diabetes and hypertension and inadequate protein intake were identified as significant determinants of MetS, after adjusting for other socio-economic, family medical history and lifestyle factors. Conclusions MetS is a common condition among Europid adults in Luxembourg and increases dramatically with age, in both genders. Several dietary, socio-economic and behavioural factors explain the disparity observed. These findings highlight the importance of a comprehensive approach to MetS encompassing dietary, lifestyle and socio-economic aspects, both in clinical and community settings.