Share of men who are overweight or obese in Australia
Australia: Share of men who are overweight or obese was 70.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of men who are overweight or obese in Australia, 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 overweight or obese in Australia is 70.2%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men who are overweight or obese in Australia peaked at 70.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 43.8%, in 1980.
Australia ranks 27th 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.
Share of men who are overweight or obese in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 43.8% | — |
| 1981 | 44.8% | +2.2% |
| 1982 | 45.8% | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 46.8% | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 47.8% | +2.2% |
| 1985 | 48.9% | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 49.9% | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 51.0% | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 52.0% | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 53.1% | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 54.2% | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 55.2% | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 56.2% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 57.2% | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 58.1% | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 59.0% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 59.8% | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 60.6% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 61.3% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 62.0% | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 62.7% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 63.4% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 64.0% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 64.6% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 65.1% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 65.6% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 66.1% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 66.5% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 66.9% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 67.2% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 67.5% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 67.7% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 67.9% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 68.1% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 68.3% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 68.5% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 68.8% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 69.0% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 69.2% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 69.4% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 69.5% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 69.7% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 69.9% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 70.0% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 70.2% | +0.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 70.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 65.1%, 1.1× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Australia's 70.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 53.7%, 1.3× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 48.4% | 43.8% | 53.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 58.4% | 54.2% | 62.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 65.2% | 62.7% | 67.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.4% | 67.5% | 69.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 69.9% | 69.5% | 70.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More reference data data for Australia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 28.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 118.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 170.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.9 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of men who are overweight or obese in Australia?
- Share of men who are overweight or obese in Australia was 70.2% 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 overweight or obese recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 70.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of men who are overweight or obese recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.8% in 1980.
- How does Australia rank for share of men who are overweight or obese?
- Australia ranks 27th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. 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 overweight or 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
A person is defined as overweight if they have a body-mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 25. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by his height in meters squared.