Share of men who are obese in Norway
Norway: Share of men who are obese was 21.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of men who are obese in Norway, 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 Norway stood at 21.1%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and up 15.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men who are obese in Norway peaked at 21.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.8%, in 1980.
That places Norway 88th 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 Norway, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 4.8% | — |
| 1981 | 5.1% | +4.2% |
| 1982 | 5.3% | +4.2% |
| 1983 | 5.5% | +4.2% |
| 1984 | 5.7% | +4.3% |
| 1985 | 6.0% | +4.3% |
| 1986 | 6.2% | +4.3% |
| 1987 | 6.5% | +4.3% |
| 1988 | 6.8% | +4.3% |
| 1989 | 7.1% | +4.4% |
| 1990 | 7.4% | +4.5% |
| 1991 | 7.7% | +4.6% |
| 1992 | 8.1% | +4.7% |
| 1993 | 8.5% | +4.8% |
| 1994 | 8.9% | +5.0% |
| 1995 | 9.4% | +5.1% |
| 1996 | 9.8% | +5.2% |
| 1997 | 10.4% | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 10.9% | +5.2% |
| 1999 | 11.5% | +5.2% |
| 2000 | 12.1% | +5.2% |
| 2001 | 12.7% | +5.1% |
| 2002 | 13.3% | +4.9% |
| 2003 | 13.9% | +4.6% |
| 2004 | 14.5% | +4.3% |
| 2005 | 15.1% | +4.0% |
| 2006 | 15.6% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 16.1% | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 16.6% | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 17.0% | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 17.3% | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 17.6% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 17.8% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 18.1% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 18.3% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 18.5% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 18.8% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 19.1% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 19.3% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 19.6% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 19.9% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 20.1% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 20.4% | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 20.8% | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 21.1% | +1.5% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 21.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 25.6%, 82% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Norway's 21.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 21.4%, 98% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.9% | 4.8% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.3% | 7.4% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.7% | 12.1% | 17.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.4% | 17.3% | 19.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.5% | 19.9% | 21.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Norway
- 85 Turkey 21.9% compare
- 86 Bosnia and Herzegovina 21.7% compare
- 87 Saint Lucia 21.2% compare
- 89 Pakistan 21.0% compare
- 90 Azerbaijan 20.8% compare
- 91 Moldova 20.8% compare
More reference data data for Norway
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3703 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.3621 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0618 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.7734 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3366 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of men who are obese in Norway?
- Share of men who are obese in Norway was 21.1% 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 Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 21.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of men who are obese recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.8% in 1980.
- How does Norway rank for share of men who are obese?
- Norway ranks 88th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men who are obese rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Norway 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.