Share of women who are obese in Germany
Germany: Share of women who are obese was 19.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of women who are obese in Germany, 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 Germany stood at 19.1%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are obese in Germany peaked at 19.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 12.3%, in 1980.
Germany ranks 134th 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 Germany, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 12.3% | — |
| 1981 | 12.5% | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 12.6% | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 12.8% | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 13.0% | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 13.1% | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 13.3% | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 13.5% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 13.7% | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 13.9% | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 14.2% | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 14.4% | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 14.7% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 15.0% | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 15.2% | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 15.5% | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 15.9% | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 16.2% | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 16.5% | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 16.8% | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 17.1% | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 17.4% | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 17.7% | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 17.9% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 18.2% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 18.4% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 18.5% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 18.7% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 18.8% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 18.9% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 19.0% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 19.0% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 19.1% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 19.1% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 19.1% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 19.1% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 19.1% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 19.1% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 19.1% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 19.0% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 19.1% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 19.1% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 19.1% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 19.1% | +0.1% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 19.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 27.1%, 71% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Germany's 19.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 21.2%, 90% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 13.1% | 12.3% | 13.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.4% | 14.2% | 16.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.2% | 17.1% | 18.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.0% | 19.0% | 19.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.1% | 19.0% | 19.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More gender data for Germany
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 11,292 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.9917 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 71,489 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 71,489 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate -0.1556 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 344,036 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 363,213 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 348,332 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 367,516 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 355,306 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women who are obese in Germany?
- Share of women who are obese in Germany was 19.1% 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 19.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of women who are obese recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.3% in 1980.
- How does Germany rank for share of women who are obese?
- Germany ranks 134th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are obese rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany 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.