Share of adults who are obese in Netherlands

Netherlands: Share of adults who are obese was 16.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
16.9%
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
136th
of 199 countries
All-time high
16.9%
in 2024
All-time low
6.9%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

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

0510151980200220241980: 6.9 %1981: 7 %1982: 7.2 %1983: 7.4 %1984: 7.5 %1985: 7.7 %1986: 7.9 %1987: 8.1 %1988: 8.3 %1989: 8.5 %1990: 8.8 %1991: 9.1 %1992: 9.4 %1993: 9.7 %1994: 10.1 %1995: 10.4 %1996: 10.8 %1997: 11.3 %1998: 11.7 %1999: 12.1 %2000: 12.5 %2001: 12.9 %2002: 13.4 %2003: 13.7 %2004: 14.1 %2005: 14.5 %2006: 14.8 %2007: 15.1 %2008: 15.3 %2009: 15.5 %2010: 15.6 %2011: 15.8 %2012: 15.9 %2013: 16 %2014: 16 %2015: 16.1 %2016: 16.2 %2017: 16.3 %2018: 16.4 %2019: 16.4 %2020: 16.5 %2021: 16.6 %2022: 16.7 %2023: 16.8 %2024: 16.9 %

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

Analysis

Netherlands recorded 16.9% 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 0.7% on the previous year and up 5.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Netherlands peaked at 16.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.9%, in 1980.

Netherlands ranks 136th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 7.7% 6.9% 8.5% 10
1990s 10.3% 8.8% 12.1% 10
2000s 14.2% 12.5% 15.5% 10
2010s 16.1% 15.6% 16.4% 10
2020s 16.7% 16.5% 16.9% 5

Countries ranked near Netherlands

  1. 133 Maldives 18.1% compare
  2. 134 Botswana 18.1% compare
  3. 135 Italy 17.9% compare
  4. 137 Singapore 16.8% compare
  5. 138 Liberia 16.7% compare
  6. 139 Namibia 16.7% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Netherlands

All data for Netherlands →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of adults who are obese in Netherlands?
Share of adults who are obese in Netherlands was 16.9% 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 Netherlands?
The highest recorded value was 16.9% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Netherlands?
The lowest recorded value was 6.9% in 1980.
How does Netherlands rank for share of adults who are obese?
Netherlands ranks 136th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Netherlands?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Netherlands 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.