Share of men who are overweight or obese in New Zealand
New Zealand: Share of men who are overweight or obese was 70.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of men who are overweight or obese in New Zealand, 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 New Zealand stood at 70.8%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men who are overweight or obese in New Zealand peaked at 70.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 43.0%, in 1980.
That places New Zealand 25th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 43.0% | — |
| 1981 | 43.8% | +2.0% |
| 1982 | 44.7% | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 45.6% | +2.1% |
| 1984 | 46.6% | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 47.6% | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 48.6% | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 49.6% | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 50.6% | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 51.6% | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 52.7% | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 53.7% | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 54.8% | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 55.8% | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 56.9% | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 57.9% | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 58.9% | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 59.8% | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 60.8% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 61.7% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 62.6% | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 63.5% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 64.4% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 65.2% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 65.9% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 66.6% | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 67.2% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 67.8% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 68.3% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 68.6% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 68.9% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 69.2% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 69.4% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 69.5% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 69.7% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 69.9% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 70.0% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 70.2% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 70.3% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 70.4% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 70.5% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 70.6% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 70.7% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 70.7% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 70.8% | +0.1% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 70.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 65.1%, 1.1× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 70.8% 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 | 47.2% | 43.0% | 51.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 57.3% | 52.7% | 61.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 66.0% | 62.6% | 68.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.7% | 68.9% | 70.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.7% | 70.5% | 70.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 22 Puerto Rico 71.1% compare
- 23 Saudi Arabia 71.1% compare
- 24 Hungary 71.0% compare
- 26 United Arab Emirates 70.7% compare
- 27 Australia 70.2% compare
- 28 Bahamas 70.0% compare
More reference data data for New Zealand
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4532 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0459 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 42.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 47.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2499 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of men who are overweight or obese in New Zealand?
- Share of men who are overweight or obese in New Zealand was 70.8% 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 New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 70.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of men who are overweight or obese recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.0% in 1980.
- How does New Zealand rank for share of men who are overweight or obese?
- New Zealand ranks 25th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men who are overweight or obese rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand 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.