Share of adults who are obese in Spain
Spain: Share of adults who are obese was 18.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in Spain, 1980–2024
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.
Share of adults who are obese in Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 13.7% | — |
| 1981 | 13.9% | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 14.0% | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 14.2% | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 14.4% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 14.6% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 14.8% | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 15.0% | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 15.2% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 15.5% | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 15.8% | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 16.1% | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 16.4% | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 16.7% | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 17.1% | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 17.5% | +2.4% |
| 1996 | 17.9% | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 18.4% | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 18.9% | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 19.5% | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 20.0% | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 20.6% | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 21.1% | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 21.5% | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 22.0% | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 22.3% | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 22.7% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 22.9% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 23.0% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 23.2% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 23.2% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 23.2% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 23.0% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 22.9% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 22.6% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 22.4% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 22.0% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 21.7% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 21.3% | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 20.8% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 20.4% | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 20.0% | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 19.6% | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 19.3% | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 18.9% | -1.8% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 18.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 30.0%, 63% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Spain's 18.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 25.3%, 75% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
- 125 Montenegro 20.6% compare
- 126 Lesotho 20.2% compare
- 127 Andorra 19.5% compare
- 129 Equatorial Guinea 18.8% compare
- 130 Afghanistan 18.8% compare
- 131 Sweden 18.7% compare
More reference data data for Spain
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.898 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.06 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 52.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.89 (2050)
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
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.