Share of adults who are obese in Australia
Australia: Share of adults who are obese was 32.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in Australia, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Australia recorded 32.4% for share of adults who are obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 16.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Australia peaked at 32.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.5%, in 1980.
That places Australia 53rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.8% | 7.5% | 12.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.1% | 12.9% | 19.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.0% | 20.1% | 25.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.0% | 26.0% | 30.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.4% | 30.5% | 32.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More reference data data for Australia
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8615 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.4864 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.13 °C (2026)
- Consumer price index 148.46 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.0026 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.4713 °C (2025)
- Civil liberties rating 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Australia?
- Share of adults who are obese in Australia was 32.4% in 2024, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of adults who are obese recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 32.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.5% in 1980.
- How does Australia rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Australia ranks 53rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of adults who are obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Obesity is defined here as a body mass index (BMI) above 30. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters.