Share of women who are obese in Ireland
Ireland: Share of women who are obese was 27.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of women who are obese in Ireland, 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 Ireland is 27.1%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 11.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are obese in Ireland peaked at 27.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.1%, in 1980.
That places Ireland 92nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 9.1% | — |
| 1981 | 9.5% | +4.0% |
| 1982 | 9.8% | +4.0% |
| 1983 | 10.2% | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 10.7% | +4.0% |
| 1985 | 11.1% | +4.0% |
| 1986 | 11.5% | +3.9% |
| 1987 | 12.0% | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 12.4% | +3.8% |
| 1989 | 12.9% | +3.8% |
| 1990 | 13.4% | +3.7% |
| 1991 | 13.9% | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 14.4% | +3.7% |
| 1993 | 14.9% | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 15.4% | +3.5% |
| 1995 | 16.0% | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 16.5% | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 17.0% | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 17.6% | +3.3% |
| 1999 | 18.2% | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 18.7% | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 19.2% | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 19.7% | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 20.2% | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 20.7% | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 21.2% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 21.6% | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 22.0% | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 22.4% | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 22.8% | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 23.2% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 23.5% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 23.8% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 24.1% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 24.4% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 24.7% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 24.9% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 25.2% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 25.5% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 25.8% | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 26.0% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 26.3% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 26.6% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 26.8% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 27.1% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.9% | 9.1% | 12.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.7% | 13.4% | 18.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.9% | 18.7% | 22.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.5% | 23.2% | 25.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.6% | 26.0% | 27.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More gender data for Ireland
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 899.27 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.9809 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 26,039 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 27,455 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 26,494 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 27,919 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 26,943 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 28,390 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 28,907 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 30,454 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women who are obese in Ireland?
- Share of women who are obese in Ireland was 27.1% 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 27.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of women who are obese recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.1% in 1980.
- How does Ireland rank for share of women who are obese?
- Ireland ranks 92nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are obese rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland 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.