Share of adults who are obese in Uruguay
Uruguay: Share of adults who are obese was 36.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in Uruguay, 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 Uruguay stood at 36.3%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.5% on the previous year and up 30.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Uruguay peaked at 36.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.0%, in 1980.
Uruguay ranks 35th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of adults who are obese in Uruguay, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 9.0% | — |
| 1981 | 9.4% | +3.5% |
| 1982 | 9.7% | +3.6% |
| 1983 | 10.1% | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 10.4% | +3.6% |
| 1985 | 10.8% | +3.7% |
| 1986 | 11.2% | +3.7% |
| 1987 | 11.6% | +3.7% |
| 1988 | 12.0% | +3.7% |
| 1989 | 12.5% | +3.7% |
| 1990 | 12.9% | +3.7% |
| 1991 | 13.4% | +3.6% |
| 1992 | 13.9% | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 14.4% | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 14.9% | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 15.4% | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 15.9% | +3.5% |
| 1997 | 16.5% | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 17.1% | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 17.7% | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 18.3% | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 18.9% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 19.5% | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 20.1% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 20.7% | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 21.3% | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 22.0% | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 22.6% | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 23.3% | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 24.0% | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 24.7% | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 25.4% | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 26.2% | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 27.0% | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 27.7% | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 28.6% | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 29.4% | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 30.2% | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 31.1% | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 31.9% | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 32.8% | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 33.6% | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 34.5% | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 35.4% | +2.6% |
| 2024 | 36.3% | +2.5% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 36.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 30.0%, 1.2× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 36.3% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 33.2%, 1.1× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.7% | 9.0% | 12.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.2% | 12.9% | 17.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.1% | 18.3% | 24.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.2% | 24.7% | 31.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.5% | 32.8% | 36.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
More reference data data for Uruguay
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2999 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3685 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 6.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2195 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 24.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 33.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.01 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Uruguay?
- Share of adults who are obese in Uruguay was 36.3% 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 Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 36.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.0% in 1980.
- How does Uruguay rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Uruguay ranks 35th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uruguay 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.