Share of men who are obese in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Share of men who are obese was 23.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of men who are obese in Bulgaria, 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 men who are obese in Bulgaria stood at 23.3%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 17.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men who are obese in Bulgaria peaked at 23.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.9%, in 1980.
Bulgaria ranks 77th of 199 countries on this measure, 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 Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 7.9% | — |
| 1981 | 8.1% | +2.8% |
| 1982 | 8.3% | +2.8% |
| 1983 | 8.6% | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 8.8% | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 9.0% | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 9.3% | +2.6% |
| 1987 | 9.5% | +2.6% |
| 1988 | 9.7% | +2.5% |
| 1989 | 10.0% | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 10.2% | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 10.4% | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 10.7% | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 10.9% | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 11.2% | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 11.5% | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 11.9% | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 12.2% | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 12.6% | +3.3% |
| 1999 | 13.1% | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 13.5% | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 14.0% | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 14.5% | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 15.0% | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 15.5% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 15.9% | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 16.4% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 16.9% | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 17.4% | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 17.9% | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 18.3% | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 18.7% | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 19.1% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 19.5% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 19.9% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 20.2% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 20.6% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 20.9% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 21.2% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 21.5% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 21.8% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 22.2% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 22.5% | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 22.9% | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 23.3% | +1.7% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 23.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 25.6%, 91% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 23.3% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 21.4%, 1.1× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.9% | 7.9% | 10.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.5% | 10.2% | 13.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.7% | 13.5% | 17.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.0% | 18.3% | 21.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.5% | 21.8% | 23.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More reference data data for Bulgaria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3067 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2728 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2506 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.608 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.36 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of men who are obese in Bulgaria?
- Share of men who are obese in Bulgaria was 23.3% 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 men who are obese recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 23.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of men who are obese recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.9% in 1980.
- How does Bulgaria rank for share of men who are obese?
- Bulgaria ranks 77th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men who are obese rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria 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.