Share of women who are overweight or obese in Australia
Australia: Share of women who are overweight or obese was 58.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of women who are overweight or obese in Australia, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Australia recorded 58.1% for share of women who are overweight or obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are overweight or obese in Australia peaked at 58.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 26.4%, in 1980.
That places Australia 91st 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 overweight or obese in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 26.4% | — |
| 1981 | 27.5% | +4.1% |
| 1982 | 28.6% | +4.0% |
| 1983 | 29.7% | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 30.9% | +3.8% |
| 1985 | 32.0% | +3.7% |
| 1986 | 33.2% | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 34.3% | +3.5% |
| 1988 | 35.5% | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 36.7% | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 37.8% | +3.2% |
| 1991 | 39.0% | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 40.1% | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 41.3% | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 42.4% | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 43.4% | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 44.4% | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 45.4% | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 46.4% | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 47.2% | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 48.1% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 48.8% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 49.5% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 50.2% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 50.8% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 51.3% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 51.8% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 52.3% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 52.7% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 53.1% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 53.5% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 53.8% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 54.2% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 54.5% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 54.8% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 55.2% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 55.5% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 55.9% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 56.2% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 56.5% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 56.9% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 57.2% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 57.5% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 57.8% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 58.1% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 31.5% | 26.4% | 36.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 42.7% | 37.8% | 47.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.9% | 48.1% | 53.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.0% | 53.5% | 56.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.5% | 56.9% | 58.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 88 United Kingdom 58.5% compare
- 89 Tajikistan 58.2% compare
- 90 Solomon Islands 58.1% compare
- 92 Armenia 57.8% compare
- 93 Vanuatu 57.6% compare
- 94 Botswana 57.6% compare
More gender data for Australia
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 4,759 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.0804 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 149,630 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 157,746 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 150,777 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 158,898 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 151,066 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 159,270 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 151,529 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 159,819 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women who are overweight or obese in Australia?
- Share of women who are overweight or obese in Australia was 58.1% 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 overweight or obese recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 58.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of women who are overweight or obese recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.4% in 1980.
- How does Australia rank for share of women who are overweight or obese?
- Australia ranks 91st out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia 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 overweight or obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
A person is defined as overweight if they have a body-mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 25. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by his height in meters squared.