Prevalence of obesity, female in Canada
Canada: Prevalence of obesity, female was 24.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of obesity, female in Canada, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Measured in % of female population ages 18+.
Analysis
Canada recorded 24.4% for prevalence of obesity, female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of obesity, female in Canada peaked at 24.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.5%, in 1980.
That places Canada 107th out of 196 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.
Prevalence of obesity, female in Canada, year by year
| Year | % of female population ages 18+ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 8.5% | — |
| 1981 | 8.9% | +5.7% |
| 1982 | 9.4% | +5.6% |
| 1983 | 10.0% | +5.5% |
| 1984 | 10.5% | +5.4% |
| 1985 | 11.1% | +5.2% |
| 1986 | 11.6% | +5.2% |
| 1987 | 12.2% | +5.0% |
| 1988 | 12.8% | +4.8% |
| 1989 | 13.4% | +4.7% |
| 1990 | 14.0% | +4.6% |
| 1991 | 14.6% | +4.4% |
| 1992 | 15.2% | +4.2% |
| 1993 | 15.9% | +4.1% |
| 1994 | 16.5% | +3.8% |
| 1995 | 17.1% | +3.7% |
| 1996 | 17.7% | +3.5% |
| 1997 | 18.3% | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 18.8% | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 19.4% | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 19.9% | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 20.4% | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 20.9% | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 21.3% | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 21.7% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 22.0% | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 22.4% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 22.7% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 22.9% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 23.2% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 23.4% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 23.6% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 23.7% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 23.8% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 23.9% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 24.0% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 24.1% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 24.2% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 24.2% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 24.2% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 24.3% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 24.3% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 24.4% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 24.4% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 24.4% | +0.2% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 24.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 27.1%, 90% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.8% | 8.5% | 13.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.7% | 14.0% | 19.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.7% | 19.9% | 23.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.9% | 23.4% | 24.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.4% | 24.3% | 24.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More gender data for Canada
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 5,985 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.1285 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 35,670 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 35,670 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.8111 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 179,464 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 188,972 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 181,929 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 191,273 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 183,113 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of obesity, female in Canada?
- Prevalence of obesity, female in Canada was 24.4% in 2024, according to World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository.
- What is the highest prevalence of obesity, female recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 24.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of obesity, female recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.5% in 1980.
- How does Canada rank for prevalence of obesity, female?
- Canada ranks 107th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of obesity, female rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada 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.