Share of adults who are obese in Canada
Canada: Share of adults who are obese was 27.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in Canada, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of adults who are obese in Canada is 27.1%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Canada peaked at 27.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.5%, in 1980.
Canada ranks 85th 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.
Share of adults who are obese in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 8.5% | — |
| 1981 | 8.9% | +5.1% |
| 1982 | 9.4% | +5.1% |
| 1983 | 9.9% | +5.2% |
| 1984 | 10.4% | +5.3% |
| 1985 | 10.9% | +5.3% |
| 1986 | 11.5% | +5.3% |
| 1987 | 12.1% | +5.2% |
| 1988 | 12.7% | +5.1% |
| 1989 | 13.4% | +4.9% |
| 1990 | 14.0% | +4.9% |
| 1991 | 14.7% | +4.9% |
| 1992 | 15.4% | +4.7% |
| 1993 | 16.1% | +4.6% |
| 1994 | 16.8% | +4.4% |
| 1995 | 17.5% | +4.2% |
| 1996 | 18.2% | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 18.9% | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 19.5% | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 20.2% | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 20.8% | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 21.4% | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 22.0% | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 22.5% | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 23.0% | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 23.5% | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 24.0% | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 24.4% | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 24.7% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 25.0% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 25.3% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 25.5% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 25.7% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 25.9% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 26.1% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 26.3% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 26.4% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 26.5% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 26.6% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 26.7% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 26.8% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 26.9% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 27.0% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 27.0% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 27.1% | +0.3% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 27.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 30.0%, 90% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.8% | 8.5% | 13.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.1% | 14.0% | 20.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.1% | 20.8% | 25.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.1% | 25.3% | 26.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.9% | 26.8% | 27.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More reference data data for Canada
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 6.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 7.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 22.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 99.83 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.88 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Canada?
- Share of adults who are obese in Canada was 27.1% 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 27.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.5% in 1980.
- How does Canada rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Canada ranks 85th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada 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.