Share of adults who are obese in Switzerland
Switzerland: Share of adults who are obese was 12.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in Switzerland, 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 Switzerland stood at 12.9%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Switzerland peaked at 12.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.4%, in 1988.
Switzerland ranks 151st of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of adults who are obese in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 8.6% | — |
| 1981 | 8.6% | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 8.5% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 8.5% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 8.5% | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 8.5% | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 8.5% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 8.4% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 8.4% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 8.4% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 8.5% | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 8.5% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 8.5% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 8.6% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 8.6% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 8.7% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 8.9% | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 9.0% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 9.2% | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 9.3% | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 9.5% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 9.7% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 9.9% | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 10.1% | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 10.3% | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 10.5% | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 10.7% | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 10.9% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 11.0% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 11.2% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 11.3% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 11.3% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 11.4% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 11.5% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 11.6% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 11.7% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 11.7% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 11.9% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 12.0% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 12.1% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 12.2% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 12.3% | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 12.5% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 12.7% | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 12.9% | +1.4% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 12.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 30.0%, 43% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 12.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 25.3%, 51% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.5% | 8.4% | 8.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.8% | 8.5% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.4% | 9.5% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.6% | 11.3% | 12.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.5% | 12.2% | 12.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More reference data data for Switzerland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5507 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2683 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.28 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.28 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.272 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Switzerland?
- Share of adults who are obese in Switzerland was 12.9% 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 Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 12.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.4% in 1988.
- How does Switzerland rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Switzerland ranks 151st out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.