Share of adults defined as obese in Australia
Australia: Share of adults defined as obese was 32.37 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
32.37
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
53rd
of 199 countries
All-time high
32.37
in 2024
All-time low
7.54
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024
Share of adults defined as obese in Australia, 1980–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Australia recorded 32.37 for share of adults defined as 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 defined as obese in Australia peaked at 32.37 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.54, 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.
Share of adults defined as obese in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 7.54 | — |
| 1981 | 7.97 | +5.6% |
| 1982 | 8.42 | +5.7% |
| 1983 | 8.9 | +5.8% |
| 1984 | 9.42 | +5.8% |
| 1985 | 9.95 | +5.6% |
| 1986 | 10.5 | +5.5% |
| 1987 | 11.06 | +5.4% |
| 1988 | 11.64 | +5.3% |
| 1989 | 12.24 | +5.1% |
| 1990 | 12.87 | +5.1% |
| 1991 | 13.53 | +5.1% |
| 1992 | 14.22 | +5.1% |
| 1993 | 14.94 | +5.0% |
| 1994 | 15.67 | +4.9% |
| 1995 | 16.41 | +4.7% |
| 1996 | 17.15 | +4.5% |
| 1997 | 17.91 | +4.4% |
| 1998 | 18.67 | +4.2% |
| 1999 | 19.41 | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 20.15 | +3.8% |
| 2001 | 20.86 | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 21.55 | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 22.21 | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 22.85 | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 23.45 | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 24.02 | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 24.56 | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 25.05 | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 25.51 | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 25.97 | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 26.42 | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 26.85 | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 27.28 | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 27.73 | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 28.18 | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 28.64 | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 29.1 | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 29.54 | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 29.99 | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 30.49 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 30.99 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 31.46 | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 31.91 | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 32.37 | +1.4% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 32.37 is above the median for high income countries, which is 30.03, 1.1× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Australia's 32.37 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 24.56, 1.3× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.77 | 7.54 | 12.24 | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.08 | 12.87 | 19.41 | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.02 | 20.15 | 25.51 | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.97 | 25.97 | 29.99 | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.44 | 30.49 | 32.37 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More reference data data for Australia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 28.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 118.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 170.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.9 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults defined as obese in Australia?
- Share of adults defined as obese in Australia was 32.37 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of adults defined as obese recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 32.37 in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults defined as obese recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.54 in 1980.
- How does Australia rank for share of adults defined as obese?
- Australia ranks 53rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults defined as 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Share of adults defined as 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).