Share of adults who are obese in Ireland
Ireland: Share of adults who are obese was 30.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in Ireland, 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 Ireland is 30.6%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Ireland peaked at 30.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.0%, in 1980.
Ireland ranks 65th 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 Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 9.0% | — |
| 1981 | 9.3% | +3.7% |
| 1982 | 9.6% | +3.8% |
| 1983 | 10.0% | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 10.4% | +4.0% |
| 1985 | 10.9% | +4.1% |
| 1986 | 11.3% | +4.1% |
| 1987 | 11.8% | +4.3% |
| 1988 | 12.3% | +4.4% |
| 1989 | 12.8% | +4.4% |
| 1990 | 13.4% | +4.2% |
| 1991 | 13.9% | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 14.5% | +4.0% |
| 1993 | 15.1% | +4.1% |
| 1994 | 15.7% | +4.1% |
| 1995 | 16.3% | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 16.9% | +3.9% |
| 1997 | 17.6% | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 18.2% | +3.7% |
| 1999 | 18.8% | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 19.5% | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 20.1% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 20.8% | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 21.4% | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 22.0% | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 22.5% | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 23.0% | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 23.5% | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 24.0% | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 24.5% | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 25.1% | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 25.7% | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 26.2% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 26.6% | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 27.1% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 27.5% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 27.9% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 28.2% | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 28.6% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 28.9% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 29.3% | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 29.6% | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 29.9% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 30.3% | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 30.6% | +1.1% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 30.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 30.0%, 1.0× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 30.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 25.3%, 1.2× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.7% | 9.0% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.0% | 13.4% | 18.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.1% | 19.5% | 24.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.2% | 25.1% | 28.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.9% | 29.3% | 30.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More reference data data for Ireland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0921 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.5015 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Ireland?
- Share of adults who are obese in Ireland was 30.6% 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 30.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.0% in 1980.
- How does Ireland rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Ireland ranks 65th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland 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.