Share of adults who are obese in Spain

Spain: Share of adults who are obese was 18.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
18.9%
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
128th
of 199 countries
All-time high
23.2%
in 2010
All-time low
13.7%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

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

05101520251980200220241980: 13.7 %1981: 13.9 %1982: 14 %1983: 14.2 %1984: 14.4 %1985: 14.6 %1986: 14.8 %1987: 15 %1988: 15.2 %1989: 15.5 %1990: 15.8 %1991: 16.1 %1992: 16.4 %1993: 16.7 %1994: 17.1 %1995: 17.5 %1996: 17.9 %1997: 18.4 %1998: 18.9 %1999: 19.5 %2000: 20 %2001: 20.6 %2002: 21.1 %2003: 21.5 %2004: 22 %2005: 22.3 %2006: 22.7 %2007: 22.9 %2008: 23 %2009: 23.2 %2010: 23.2 %2011: 23.2 %2012: 23 %2013: 22.9 %2014: 22.6 %2015: 22.4 %2016: 22 %2017: 21.7 %2018: 21.3 %2019: 20.8 %2020: 20.4 %2021: 20 %2022: 19.6 %2023: 19.3 %2024: 18.9 %

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

Analysis

In 2024, share of adults who are obese in Spain stood at 18.9%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 16.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Spain peaked at 23.2% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 13.7%, in 1980.

That places Spain 128th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 14.5% 13.7% 15.5% 10
1990s 17.4% 15.8% 19.5% 10
2000s 21.9% 20.0% 23.2% 10
2010s 22.3% 20.8% 23.2% 10
2020s 19.7% 18.9% 20.4% 5

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 125 Montenegro 20.6% compare
  2. 126 Lesotho 20.2% compare
  3. 127 Andorra 19.5% compare
  4. 129 Equatorial Guinea 18.8% compare
  5. 130 Afghanistan 18.8% compare
  6. 131 Sweden 18.7% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of adults who are obese in Spain?
Share of adults who are obese in Spain was 18.9% 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 Spain?
The highest recorded value was 23.2% in 2010.
What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 13.7% in 1980.
How does Spain rank for share of adults who are obese?
Spain ranks 128th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Spain 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.