Share of women who are obese in Canada
Canada: Share of women who are obese was 24.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of women who are obese in Canada, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of women who are obese in Canada stood at 24.4%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are obese in Canada peaked at 24.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.5%, in 1980.
Canada ranks 110th of 199 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.
Share of women who are obese in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 8.5% | — |
| 1981 | 8.9% | +5.6% |
| 1982 | 9.4% | +5.6% |
| 1983 | 10.0% | +5.5% |
| 1984 | 10.5% | +5.4% |
| 1985 | 11.1% | +5.3% |
| 1986 | 11.6% | +5.1% |
| 1987 | 12.2% | +5.0% |
| 1988 | 12.8% | +4.8% |
| 1989 | 13.4% | +4.7% |
| 1990 | 14.0% | +4.5% |
| 1991 | 14.6% | +4.4% |
| 1992 | 15.2% | +4.2% |
| 1993 | 15.9% | +4.1% |
| 1994 | 16.5% | +3.9% |
| 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% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 24.0% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 24.1% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 24.2% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 24.2% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 24.2% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 24.3% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 24.3% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 24.3% | +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 share of women who are obese in Canada?
- Share of women who are obese in Canada was 24.4% 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 women who are obese recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 24.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of women who are obese recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.5% in 1980.
- How does Canada rank for share of women who are obese?
- Canada ranks 110th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are obese 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 – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of women who are 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
Obesity is defined as having a body-mass index (BMI) equal to, or greater than, 30. BMI is a person's weight (in kilograms) divided by their height (in meters) squared.