Share of men who are overweight or obese in Ireland
Ireland: Share of men who are overweight or obese was 68.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of men who are overweight or obese in Ireland, 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 overweight or obese in Ireland stood at 68.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men who are overweight or obese in Ireland peaked at 69.6% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 49.7%, in 1980.
Ireland ranks 37th 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 Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 49.7% | — |
| 1981 | 50.5% | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 51.3% | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 52.1% | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 52.9% | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 53.8% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 54.6% | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 55.5% | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 56.3% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 57.2% | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 58.1% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 58.9% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 59.8% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 60.6% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 61.4% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 62.2% | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 63.0% | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 63.7% | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 64.4% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 65.1% | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 65.7% | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 66.3% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 66.9% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 67.4% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 67.9% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 68.3% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 68.7% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 69.0% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 69.2% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 69.4% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 69.6% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 69.6% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 69.6% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 69.6% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 69.6% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 69.5% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 69.5% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 69.4% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 69.3% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 69.2% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 69.1% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 68.9% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 68.8% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 68.6% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 68.5% | -0.2% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 68.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 65.1%, 1.1× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 68.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 62.4%, 1.1× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 53.4% | 49.7% | 57.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 61.7% | 58.1% | 65.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 67.9% | 65.7% | 69.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.5% | 69.2% | 69.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.8% | 68.5% | 69.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More reference data data for Ireland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0921 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.5015 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of men who are overweight or obese in Ireland?
- Share of men who are overweight or obese in Ireland was 68.5% 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 69.6% in 2012.
- What is the lowest share of men who are overweight or obese recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.7% in 1980.
- How does Ireland rank for share of men who are overweight or obese?
- Ireland ranks 37th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland 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.