Prevalence of obesity, female in Australia
Australia: Prevalence of obesity, female was 29.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of obesity, female in Australia, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Measured in % of female population ages 18+.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of obesity, female in Australia is 29.8%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of obesity, female in Australia peaked at 29.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.4%, in 1980.
Australia ranks 79th of 196 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Prevalence of obesity, female in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of female population ages 18+ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 7.4% | — |
| 1981 | 7.8% | +6.5% |
| 1982 | 8.3% | +6.3% |
| 1983 | 8.8% | +6.2% |
| 1984 | 9.4% | +6.1% |
| 1985 | 9.9% | +6.0% |
| 1986 | 10.5% | +5.8% |
| 1987 | 11.1% | +5.6% |
| 1988 | 11.7% | +5.5% |
| 1989 | 12.3% | +5.3% |
| 1990 | 13.0% | +5.3% |
| 1991 | 13.7% | +5.1% |
| 1992 | 14.3% | +4.9% |
| 1993 | 15.0% | +4.7% |
| 1994 | 15.7% | +4.6% |
| 1995 | 16.4% | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 17.1% | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 17.7% | +4.0% |
| 1998 | 18.4% | +3.8% |
| 1999 | 19.1% | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 19.7% | +3.3% |
| 2001 | 20.3% | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 20.9% | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 21.4% | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 22.0% | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 22.5% | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 23.0% | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 23.4% | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 23.9% | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 24.3% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 24.7% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 25.1% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 25.4% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 25.8% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 26.2% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 26.5% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 26.9% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 27.3% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 27.6% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 28.0% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 28.4% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 28.7% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 29.0% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 29.4% | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 29.8% | +1.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 29.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 27.1%, 1.1× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Australia's 29.8% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 28.3%, 1.1× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.7% | 7.4% | 12.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.0% | 13.0% | 19.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.1% | 19.7% | 24.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.4% | 24.7% | 28.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.0% | 28.4% | 29.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More gender data for Australia
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 4,759 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.0804 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 23,430 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 23,430 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.02 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 149,630 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 157,746 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 150,777 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 158,898 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 151,066 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of obesity, female in Australia?
- Prevalence of obesity, female in Australia was 29.8% in 2024, according to World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository.
- What is the highest prevalence of obesity, female recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 29.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of obesity, female recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.4% in 1980.
- How does Australia rank for prevalence of obesity, female?
- Australia ranks 79th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of obesity, female rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository, published as part of Prevalence of obesity, female (% of female population ages 18+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Prevalence of obesity adult is the percentage of adults ages 18 and over whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is 30 kg/m² or higher. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height, or the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters.