Share of men who are overweight or obese in Sweden
Sweden: Share of men who are overweight or obese was 61.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of men who are overweight or obese in Sweden, 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 Sweden is 61.6%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men who are overweight or obese in Sweden peaked at 61.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 38.7%, in 1980.
That places Sweden 75th 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 overweight or obese in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 38.7% | — |
| 1981 | 39.1% | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 39.5% | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 39.9% | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 40.3% | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 40.8% | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 41.3% | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 41.9% | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 42.5% | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 43.1% | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 43.7% | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 44.3% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 45.0% | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 45.7% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 46.4% | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 47.1% | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 47.9% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 48.7% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 49.5% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 50.3% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 51.1% | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 51.8% | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 52.6% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 53.3% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 54.1% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 54.8% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 55.4% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 56.0% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 56.5% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 56.9% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 57.3% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 57.6% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 57.9% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 58.2% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 58.5% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 58.8% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 59.1% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 59.4% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 59.7% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 60.0% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 60.3% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 60.6% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 61.0% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 61.3% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 61.6% | +0.6% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 61.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 65.1%, 95% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 61.6% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 62.4%, 99% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 40.7% | 38.7% | 43.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.8% | 43.7% | 50.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 54.2% | 51.1% | 56.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.6% | 57.3% | 60.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.0% | 60.3% | 61.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
- 72 Marshall Islands 62.1% compare
- 73 Kazakhstan 61.9% compare
- 74 Costa Rica 61.9% compare
- 76 Belarus 61.4% compare
- 77 Guatemala 61.2% compare
- 78 Bulgaria 61.1% compare
More reference data data for Sweden
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4328 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2237 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.68 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2063 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.68 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.9766 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 8.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.12 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of men who are overweight or obese in Sweden?
- Share of men who are overweight or obese in Sweden was 61.6% 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 61.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of men who are overweight or obese recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.7% in 1980.
- How does Sweden rank for share of men who are overweight or obese?
- Sweden ranks 75th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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.