Share of adults who are obese in Denmark
Denmark: Share of adults who are obese was 15.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in Denmark, 1980–2024
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.
Share of adults who are obese in Denmark, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 6.8% | — |
| 1981 | 7.0% | +2.6% |
| 1982 | 7.1% | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 7.3% | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 7.5% | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 7.7% | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 7.9% | +2.6% |
| 1987 | 8.1% | +2.7% |
| 1988 | 8.3% | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 8.5% | +2.7% |
| 1990 | 8.8% | +2.6% |
| 1991 | 9.0% | +2.7% |
| 1992 | 9.2% | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 9.5% | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 9.8% | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 10.0% | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 10.3% | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 10.6% | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 10.9% | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 11.3% | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 11.6% | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 11.9% | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 12.2% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 12.5% | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 12.8% | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 13.1% | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 13.3% | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 13.5% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 13.6% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 13.7% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 13.8% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 13.8% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 13.9% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 13.9% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 14.0% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 14.1% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 14.2% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 14.3% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 14.4% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 14.5% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 14.6% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 14.8% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 14.9% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 15.1% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 15.2% | +1.0% |
Denmark compared with similar countries
- Denmark's 15.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 30.0%, 51% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Denmark's 15.2% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 25.3%, 60% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for Denmark
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1915 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4109 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 2.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.99 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.24 (2050)
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
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.