Prevalence of obesity, female in Denmark
Denmark: Prevalence of obesity, female was 13.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of obesity, female in Denmark, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Measured in % of female population ages 18+.
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of obesity, female in Denmark stood at 13.2%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 16.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of obesity, female in Denmark peaked at 13.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.7%, in 1980.
That places Denmark 169th out of 196 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Prevalence of obesity, female in Denmark, year by year
| Year | % of female population ages 18+ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 6.7% | — |
| 1981 | 6.8% | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 6.9% | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 7.0% | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 7.1% | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 7.2% | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 7.3% | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 7.4% | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 7.5% | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 7.6% | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 7.8% | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 7.9% | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 8.0% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 8.2% | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 8.3% | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 8.5% | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 8.7% | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 8.8% | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 9.0% | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 9.2% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 9.4% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 9.6% | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 9.7% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 9.9% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 10.0% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 10.2% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 10.3% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 10.5% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 10.6% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 10.7% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 10.8% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 10.9% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 11.1% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 11.2% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 11.3% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 11.5% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 11.6% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 11.8% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 12.0% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 12.2% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 12.3% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 12.6% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 12.8% | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 13.0% | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 13.2% | +1.7% |
Denmark compared with similar countries
- Denmark's 13.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 27.1%, 49% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Denmark's 13.2% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 21.2%, 62% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.2% | 6.7% | 7.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.4% | 7.8% | 9.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.1% | 9.4% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.4% | 10.8% | 12.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.8% | 12.3% | 13.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
More gender data for Denmark
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 936.54 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.1147 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 5,145 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 5,145 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.2008 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 28,897 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 30,488 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 28,736 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 30,324 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 28,778 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of obesity, female in Denmark?
- Prevalence of obesity, female in Denmark was 13.2% in 2024, according to World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository.
- What is the highest prevalence of obesity, female recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 13.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of obesity, female recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.7% in 1980.
- How does Denmark rank for prevalence of obesity, female?
- Denmark ranks 169th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of obesity, female rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Denmark 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.