Share of men who are obese in Belgium
Belgium: Share of men who are obese was 19.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of men who are obese in Belgium, 1980–2024
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 Belgium is 19.7%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and up 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men who are obese in Belgium peaked at 19.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.4%, in 1980.
That places Belgium 99th 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 men who are obese in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 8.4% | — |
| 1981 | 8.6% | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 8.8% | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 9.1% | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 9.3% | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 9.5% | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 9.8% | +2.6% |
| 1987 | 10.0% | +2.5% |
| 1988 | 10.3% | +2.5% |
| 1989 | 10.5% | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 10.8% | +2.6% |
| 1991 | 11.1% | +2.6% |
| 1992 | 11.4% | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 11.7% | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 12.0% | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 12.3% | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 12.7% | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 13.0% | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 13.4% | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 13.8% | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 14.2% | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 14.6% | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 15.0% | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 15.4% | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 15.8% | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 16.1% | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 16.5% | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 16.8% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 17.0% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 17.2% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 17.4% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 17.5% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 17.6% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 17.7% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 17.8% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 18.0% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 18.1% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 18.3% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 18.4% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 18.6% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 18.8% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 19.0% | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 19.2% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 19.5% | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 19.7% | +1.3% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 19.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 25.6%, 77% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 19.7% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 21.4%, 92% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.4% | 8.4% | 10.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.2% | 10.8% | 13.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.9% | 14.2% | 17.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.0% | 17.4% | 18.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.2% | 18.8% | 19.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More reference data data for Belgium
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9298 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.291 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1382 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7526 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of men who are obese in Belgium?
- Share of men who are obese in Belgium was 19.7% 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 men who are obese recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 19.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of men who are obese recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.4% in 1980.
- How does Belgium rank for share of men who are obese?
- Belgium ranks 99th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men who are obese rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium 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
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.