Share of adults who are obese in Germany
Germany: Share of adults who are obese was 24.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in Germany, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Germany recorded 24.5% 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 0.3% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Germany peaked at 24.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 12.7%, in 1980.
That places Germany 100th 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 Germany, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 12.7% | — |
| 1981 | 12.9% | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 13.1% | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 13.4% | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 13.6% | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 13.9% | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 14.1% | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 14.5% | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 14.8% | +2.3% |
| 1989 | 15.1% | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 15.5% | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 15.9% | +2.7% |
| 1992 | 16.3% | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 16.8% | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 17.3% | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 17.8% | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 18.3% | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 18.8% | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 19.4% | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 20.0% | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 20.5% | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 21.0% | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 21.4% | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 21.9% | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 22.3% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 22.7% | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 23.0% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 23.4% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 23.6% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 23.8% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 23.9% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 24.0% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 24.1% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 24.1% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 24.1% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 24.1% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 24.1% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 24.1% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 24.1% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 24.1% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 24.2% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 24.2% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 24.3% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 24.4% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 24.5% | +0.3% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 24.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 30.0%, 82% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Germany's 24.5% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 25.3%, 97% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 13.8% | 12.7% | 15.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.6% | 15.5% | 20.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.4% | 20.5% | 23.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.1% | 23.9% | 24.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.3% | 24.2% | 24.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More reference data data for Germany
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 16.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 15.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 9.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 80.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 10.56 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Germany?
- Share of adults who are obese in Germany was 24.5% 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 24.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.7% in 1980.
- How does Germany rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Germany ranks 100th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany 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.