Share of women who are obese in Iceland
Iceland: Share of women who are obese was 21.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of women who are obese in Iceland, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of women who are obese in Iceland is 21.0%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are obese in Iceland peaked at 21.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.6%, in 1980.
Iceland ranks 126th 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 Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 7.6% | — |
| 1981 | 7.8% | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 8.1% | +3.3% |
| 1983 | 8.3% | +3.3% |
| 1984 | 8.6% | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 8.9% | +3.3% |
| 1986 | 9.2% | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 9.5% | +3.3% |
| 1988 | 9.8% | +3.3% |
| 1989 | 10.1% | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 10.5% | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 10.8% | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 11.2% | +3.3% |
| 1993 | 11.5% | +3.3% |
| 1994 | 11.9% | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 12.3% | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 12.7% | +3.3% |
| 1997 | 13.1% | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 13.6% | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 14.0% | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 14.4% | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 14.8% | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 15.2% | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 15.6% | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 16.0% | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 16.3% | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 16.6% | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 16.9% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 17.2% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 17.5% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 17.7% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 17.9% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 18.2% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 18.4% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 18.6% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 18.8% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 19.0% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 19.3% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 19.5% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 19.7% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 20.0% | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 20.2% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 20.5% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 20.8% | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 21.0% | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.8% | 7.6% | 10.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.2% | 10.5% | 14.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.1% | 14.4% | 17.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.7% | 17.7% | 19.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.5% | 20.0% | 21.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More gender data for Iceland
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 69.14 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.228 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 2,155 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 2,290 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 2,184 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 2,324 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 2,211 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 2,349 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 2,353 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 2,500 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women who are obese in Iceland?
- Share of women who are obese in Iceland was 21.0% 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 21.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of women who are obese recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.6% in 1980.
- How does Iceland rank for share of women who are obese?
- Iceland ranks 126th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are obese rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland 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.