Share of men who are obese in Australia

Australia: Share of men who are obese was 31.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
31.4%
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
33rd
of 199 countries
All-time high
31.4%
in 2024
All-time low
7.7%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Share of men who are obese in Australia, 1980–2024

10152025301980200220241980: 7.7 %1981: 8.1 %1982: 8.5 %1983: 8.9 %1984: 9.4 %1985: 9.9 %1986: 10.4 %1987: 10.9 %1988: 11.4 %1989: 12 %1990: 12.6 %1991: 13.2 %1992: 13.8 %1993: 14.5 %1994: 15.1 %1995: 15.8 %1996: 16.5 %1997: 17.2 %1998: 17.8 %1999: 18.5 %2000: 19.2 %2001: 19.9 %2002: 20.6 %2003: 21.3 %2004: 21.9 %2005: 22.6 %2006: 23.2 %2007: 23.8 %2008: 24.3 %2009: 24.8 %2010: 25.3 %2011: 25.7 %2012: 26.1 %2013: 26.5 %2014: 27 %2015: 27.5 %2016: 27.9 %2017: 28.4 %2018: 28.9 %2019: 29.3 %2020: 29.7 %2021: 30.1 %2022: 30.6 %2023: 31 %2024: 31.4 %

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of men who are obese in Australia is 31.4%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 16.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of men who are obese in Australia peaked at 31.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.7%, in 1980.

Australia ranks 33rd 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 9.7% 7.7% 12.0% 10
1990s 15.5% 12.6% 18.5% 10
2000s 22.2% 19.2% 24.8% 10
2010s 27.3% 25.3% 29.3% 10
2020s 30.6% 29.7% 31.4% 5

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 30 New Zealand 32.3% compare
  2. 31 Marshall Islands 32.1% compare
  3. 32 Uruguay 31.8% compare
  4. 34 Iraq 31.2% compare
  5. 35 Bahrain 30.8% compare
  6. 36 Egypt 30.6% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of men who are obese in Australia?
Share of men who are obese in Australia was 31.4% 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 men who are obese recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 31.4% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of men who are obese recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 7.7% in 1980.
How does Australia rank for share of men who are obese?
Australia ranks 33rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of men who are obese rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia 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 men 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 men 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 as having a body-mass index (BMI) equal to, or greater than, 30. BMI is a person's weight (in kilograms) divided by their height (in meters) squared.