Share of men who are obese in Iceland
Iceland: Share of men who are obese was 23.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of men who are obese in Iceland, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 23.3% for share of men who are obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and up 15.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men who are obese in Iceland peaked at 23.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.2%, in 1980.
That places Iceland 76th 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 Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 6.2% | — |
| 1981 | 6.5% | +4.4% |
| 1982 | 6.8% | +4.4% |
| 1983 | 7.1% | +4.4% |
| 1984 | 7.4% | +4.4% |
| 1985 | 7.7% | +4.4% |
| 1986 | 8.0% | +4.4% |
| 1987 | 8.4% | +4.3% |
| 1988 | 8.7% | +4.3% |
| 1989 | 9.1% | +4.3% |
| 1990 | 9.5% | +4.3% |
| 1991 | 9.9% | +4.3% |
| 1992 | 10.3% | +4.3% |
| 1993 | 10.8% | +4.3% |
| 1994 | 11.2% | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 11.7% | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 12.2% | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 12.7% | +4.2% |
| 1998 | 13.3% | +4.2% |
| 1999 | 13.8% | +4.1% |
| 2000 | 14.4% | +4.1% |
| 2001 | 14.9% | +4.0% |
| 2002 | 15.5% | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 16.1% | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 16.6% | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 17.2% | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 17.7% | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 18.2% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 18.6% | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 18.9% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 19.3% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 19.5% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 19.8% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 20.0% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 20.2% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 20.5% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 20.8% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 21.0% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 21.3% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 21.6% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 21.9% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 22.3% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 22.6% | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 23.0% | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 23.3% | +1.6% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 23.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 25.6%, 91% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Iceland'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 | 7.6% | 6.2% | 9.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.5% | 9.5% | 13.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.8% | 14.4% | 18.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.4% | 19.3% | 21.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.6% | 21.9% | 23.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More reference data data for Iceland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0288 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0708 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.1854 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0001 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.1854 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0964 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.062 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2576 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.7664 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0005 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of men who are obese in Iceland?
- Share of men who are obese in Iceland 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 23.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of men who are obese recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.2% in 1980.
- How does Iceland rank for share of men who are obese?
- Iceland ranks 76th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men who are obese rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland 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.