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.
Share of adults who are obese in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 7.5% | — |
| 1981 | 8.0% | +5.6% |
| 1982 | 8.4% | +5.7% |
| 1983 | 8.9% | +5.8% |
| 1984 | 9.4% | +5.8% |
| 1985 | 9.9% | +5.6% |
| 1986 | 10.5% | +5.5% |
| 1987 | 11.1% | +5.4% |
| 1988 | 11.6% | +5.3% |
| 1989 | 12.2% | +5.1% |
| 1990 | 12.9% | +5.1% |
| 1991 | 13.5% | +5.1% |
| 1992 | 14.2% | +5.1% |
| 1993 | 14.9% | +5.0% |
| 1994 | 15.7% | +4.9% |
| 1995 | 16.4% | +4.7% |
| 1996 | 17.2% | +4.5% |
| 1997 | 17.9% | +4.4% |
| 1998 | 18.7% | +4.2% |
| 1999 | 19.4% | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 20.1% | +3.8% |
| 2001 | 20.9% | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 21.5% | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 22.2% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 22.8% | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 23.5% | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 24.0% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 24.6% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 25.0% | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 25.5% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 26.0% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 26.4% | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 26.9% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 27.3% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 27.7% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 28.2% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 28.6% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 29.1% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 29.5% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 30.0% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 30.5% | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 31.0% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 31.5% | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 31.9% | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 32.4% | +1.4% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 32.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 30.0%, 1.1× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Australia's 32.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 24.6%, 1.3× the median. (32 countries reporting)
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
- 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 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.