Share of adults who are obese in Sweden

Sweden: Share of adults who are obese was 18.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
18.7%
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
131st
of 199 countries
All-time high
18.7%
in 2024
All-time low
7.5%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

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

051015201980200220241980: 7.5 %1981: 7.7 %1982: 7.9 %1983: 8.1 %1984: 8.3 %1985: 8.5 %1986: 8.7 %1987: 8.9 %1988: 9.2 %1989: 9.4 %1990: 9.6 %1991: 9.9 %1992: 10.2 %1993: 10.5 %1994: 10.8 %1995: 11.2 %1996: 11.5 %1997: 11.9 %1998: 12.3 %1999: 12.7 %2000: 13.1 %2001: 13.5 %2002: 13.9 %2003: 14.3 %2004: 14.6 %2005: 14.9 %2006: 15.2 %2007: 15.4 %2008: 15.6 %2009: 15.8 %2010: 15.9 %2011: 16 %2012: 16.1 %2013: 16.3 %2014: 16.4 %2015: 16.6 %2016: 16.8 %2017: 17 %2018: 17.2 %2019: 17.4 %2020: 17.6 %2021: 17.9 %2022: 18.1 %2023: 18.4 %2024: 18.7 %

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

Analysis

Sweden recorded 18.7% for share of adults who are obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 13.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Sweden peaked at 18.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.5%, in 1980.

That places Sweden 131st 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 8.4% 7.5% 9.4% 10
1990s 11.1% 9.6% 12.7% 10
2000s 14.6% 13.1% 15.8% 10
2010s 16.6% 15.9% 17.4% 10
2020s 18.1% 17.6% 18.7% 5

Countries ranked near Sweden

  1. 128 Spain 18.9% compare
  2. 129 Equatorial Guinea 18.8% compare
  3. 130 Afghanistan 18.8% compare
  4. 132 Austria 18.3% compare
  5. 133 Maldives 18.1% compare
  6. 134 Botswana 18.1% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Sweden

All data for Sweden →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of adults who are obese in Sweden?
Share of adults who are obese in Sweden was 18.7% 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 Sweden?
The highest recorded value was 18.7% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Sweden?
The lowest recorded value was 7.5% in 1980.
How does Sweden rank for share of adults who are obese?
Sweden ranks 131st out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Sweden?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sweden 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.