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Share of adults who are obese in Belgium

Belgium: Share of adults who are obese was 22.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
22.9%
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
110th
of 199 countries
All-time high
22.9%
in 2024
All-time low
11.9%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Share of adults who are obese in Belgium, 1980–2024

05101520251980200220241980: 11.9 %1981: 12 %1982: 12.1 %1983: 12.2 %1984: 12.4 %1985: 12.5 %1986: 12.6 %1987: 12.8 %1988: 13 %1989: 13.1 %1990: 13.3 %1991: 13.5 %1992: 13.7 %1993: 14 %1994: 14.3 %1995: 14.6 %1996: 14.9 %1997: 15.2 %1998: 15.5 %1999: 15.9 %2000: 16.2 %2001: 16.6 %2002: 16.9 %2003: 17.3 %2004: 17.7 %2005: 18 %2006: 18.3 %2007: 18.6 %2008: 18.9 %2009: 19.1 %2010: 19.3 %2011: 19.5 %2012: 19.6 %2013: 19.8 %2014: 20.1 %2015: 20.3 %2016: 20.5 %2017: 20.8 %2018: 21 %2019: 21.3 %2020: 21.6 %2021: 21.9 %2022: 22.2 %2023: 22.5 %2024: 22.9 %

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Belgium recorded 22.9% for share of adults who are obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 14.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Belgium peaked at 22.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 11.9%, in 1980.

Belgium ranks 110th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 12.5% 11.9% 13.1% 10
1990s 14.5% 13.3% 15.9% 10
2000s 17.8% 16.2% 19.1% 10
2010s 20.2% 19.3% 21.3% 10
2020s 22.2% 21.6% 22.9% 5

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 107 Israel 23.3% compare
  2. 108 Portugal 23.0% compare
  3. 109 Venezuela 23.0% compare
  4. 111 Slovenia 22.8% compare
  5. 112 Kazakhstan 22.4% compare
  6. 113 Mauritania 22.1% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of adults who are obese in Belgium?
Share of adults who are obese in Belgium was 22.9% 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 Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 22.9% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 11.9% in 1980.
How does Belgium rank for share of adults who are obese?
Belgium ranks 110th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Belgium 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

Indicator
Share of adults who are obese
Unit
%
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 8,955 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed

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.