Share of adults who are obese in Denmark

Denmark: Share of adults who are obese was 15.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
15.2%
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
145th
of 199 countries
All-time high
15.2%
in 2024
All-time low
6.8%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

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

0510151980200220241980: 6.8 %1981: 7 %1982: 7.1 %1983: 7.3 %1984: 7.5 %1985: 7.7 %1986: 7.9 %1987: 8.1 %1988: 8.3 %1989: 8.5 %1990: 8.8 %1991: 9 %1992: 9.2 %1993: 9.5 %1994: 9.8 %1995: 10 %1996: 10.3 %1997: 10.6 %1998: 10.9 %1999: 11.3 %2000: 11.6 %2001: 11.9 %2002: 12.2 %2003: 12.5 %2004: 12.8 %2005: 13.1 %2006: 13.3 %2007: 13.5 %2008: 13.6 %2009: 13.7 %2010: 13.8 %2011: 13.8 %2012: 13.9 %2013: 13.9 %2014: 14 %2015: 14.1 %2016: 14.2 %2017: 14.3 %2018: 14.4 %2019: 14.5 %2020: 14.6 %2021: 14.8 %2022: 14.9 %2023: 15.1 %2024: 15.2 %

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

Analysis

Denmark recorded 15.2% for share of adults who are obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 8.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Denmark peaked at 15.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.8%, in 1980.

That places Denmark 145th 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

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 7.6% 6.8% 8.5% 10
1990s 9.9% 8.8% 11.3% 10
2000s 12.8% 11.6% 13.7% 10
2010s 14.1% 13.8% 14.5% 10
2020s 14.9% 14.6% 15.2% 5

Countries ranked near Denmark

  1. 142 Sudan 16.1% compare
  2. 143 Comoros 16.1% compare
  3. 144 Thailand 15.5% compare
  4. 146 Cameroon 14.6% compare
  5. 147 Ghana 13.8% compare
  6. 148 Zimbabwe 13.1% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Denmark

All data for Denmark →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of adults who are obese in Denmark?
Share of adults who are obese in Denmark was 15.2% 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 Denmark?
The highest recorded value was 15.2% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Denmark?
The lowest recorded value was 6.8% in 1980.
How does Denmark rank for share of adults who are obese?
Denmark ranks 145th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Denmark?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Denmark 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.