Prevalence of obesity, female in World
World: Prevalence of obesity, female was 15.1% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of obesity, female in World, 1975–2016
Source: World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Measured in % of female population ages 18+.
Analysis
World recorded 15.1% for prevalence of obesity, female in 2016. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
The figure is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 24.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of obesity, female in World peaked at 15.1% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 6.4%, in 1975.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Prevalence of obesity, female in World, year by year
| Year | % of female population ages 18+ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 6.4% | — |
| 1976 | 6.4% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 6.6% | +3.1% |
| 1978 | 6.8% | +3.0% |
| 1979 | 6.8% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 7.1% | +4.4% |
| 1981 | 7.1% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 7.3% | +2.8% |
| 1983 | 7.5% | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 7.6% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 7.8% | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 7.9% | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 8.1% | +2.5% |
| 1988 | 8.3% | +2.5% |
| 1989 | 8.4% | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 8.6% | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 8.8% | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 9.0% | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 9.1% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 9.3% | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 9.4% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 9.6% | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 9.8% | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 10.2% | +4.1% |
| 1999 | 10.4% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 10.5% | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 10.8% | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 11.1% | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 11.3% | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 11.6% | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 11.8% | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 12.1% | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 12.3% | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 12.9% | +4.9% |
| 2009 | 13.2% | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 13.2% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 13.5% | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 13.8% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 14.1% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 14.4% | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 14.7% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 15.1% | +2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.6% | 6.4% | 6.8% | 5 |
| 1980s | 7.7% | 7.1% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.4% | 8.6% | 10.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.8% | 10.5% | 13.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.1% | 13.2% | 15.1% | 7 |
Countries ranked near World
More gender data for World
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 1.96 million (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.4902 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 6.61 million (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 6.61 million (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.16 % change on previous year (2030)
- Inactivity rate (ILO modelled estimates) 39.48 (2027)
- Prevalence of obesity, male 11.1% (2016)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), per capita 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), per capita 0.0008 units per person (2025)
- Labor force, female 1.50 billion (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of obesity, female in World?
- Prevalence of obesity, female in World was 15.1% in 2016, according to World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository.
- What is the highest prevalence of obesity, female recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 15.1% in 2016.
- What is the lowest prevalence of obesity, female recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.4% in 1975.
- How does World rank for prevalence of obesity, female?
- World ranks 1st out of 1 groups with data for 2016.
- Is prevalence of obesity, female rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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 — 42 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.