Share of adults who are obese in Mexico

Mexico: Share of adults who are obese was 37.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
37.4%
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
31st
of 199 countries
All-time high
37.4%
in 2024
All-time low
7.0%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

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

102030401980200220241980: 7 %1981: 7.5 %1982: 7.9 %1983: 8.4 %1984: 8.9 %1985: 9.4 %1986: 10 %1987: 10.6 %1988: 11.2 %1989: 11.9 %1990: 12.5 %1991: 13.2 %1992: 13.9 %1993: 14.6 %1994: 15.3 %1995: 16.1 %1996: 16.9 %1997: 17.7 %1998: 18.5 %1999: 19.3 %2000: 20 %2001: 20.8 %2002: 21.5 %2003: 22.3 %2004: 23 %2005: 23.7 %2006: 24.4 %2007: 25.1 %2008: 25.8 %2009: 26.5 %2010: 27.3 %2011: 28 %2012: 28.8 %2013: 29.5 %2014: 30.3 %2015: 31.1 %2016: 31.8 %2017: 32.5 %2018: 33.3 %2019: 33.9 %2020: 34.6 %2021: 35.3 %2022: 36 %2023: 36.7 %2024: 37.4 %

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

Analysis

Mexico recorded 37.4% 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 1.9% on the previous year and up 23.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Mexico peaked at 37.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.0%, in 1980.

Mexico ranks 31st of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 9.3% 7.0% 11.9% 10
1990s 15.8% 12.5% 19.3% 10
2000s 23.3% 20.0% 26.5% 10
2010s 30.7% 27.3% 33.9% 10
2020s 36.0% 34.6% 37.4% 5

Countries ranked near Mexico

  1. 28 Panama 37.8% compare
  2. 29 Brunei 37.7% compare
  3. 30 Romania 37.7% compare
  4. 32 Hungary 36.9% compare
  5. 33 Iraq 36.8% compare
  6. 34 Croatia 36.5% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Mexico

All data for Mexico →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of adults who are obese in Mexico?
Share of adults who are obese in Mexico was 37.4% 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 Mexico?
The highest recorded value was 37.4% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Mexico?
The lowest recorded value was 7.0% in 1980.
How does Mexico rank for share of adults who are obese?
Mexico ranks 31st out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Mexico?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Mexico 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.