Share of women who are overweight or obese in Belgium
Belgium: Share of women who are overweight or obese was 47.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of women who are overweight or obese in Belgium, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 47.9% 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 0.7% on the previous year and up 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are overweight or obese in Belgium peaked at 47.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 41.3%, in 1992.
That places Belgium 126th 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 Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 41.7% | — |
| 1981 | 41.7% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 41.7% | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 41.6% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 41.6% | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 41.5% | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 41.5% | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 41.4% | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 41.4% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 41.3% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 41.3% | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 41.3% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 41.3% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 41.3% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 41.3% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 41.3% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 41.4% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 41.6% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 41.7% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 41.9% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 42.0% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 42.2% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 42.4% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 42.6% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 42.8% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 43.0% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 43.2% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 43.4% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 43.6% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 43.8% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 44.0% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 44.1% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 44.4% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 44.6% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 44.8% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 45.1% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 45.4% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 45.7% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 46.0% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 46.3% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 46.6% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 46.9% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 47.2% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 47.6% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 47.9% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 41.5% | 41.3% | 41.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 41.4% | 41.3% | 41.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.9% | 42.0% | 43.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.0% | 44.0% | 46.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.2% | 46.6% | 47.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More gender data for Belgium
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 1,701 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -1.52 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 49,723 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 52,153 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 50,100 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 52,519 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 53,460 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 56,013 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 57,794 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 60,481 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women who are overweight or obese in Belgium?
- Share of women who are overweight or obese in Belgium was 47.9% 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 Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 47.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of women who are overweight or obese recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.3% in 1992.
- How does Belgium rank for share of women who are overweight or obese?
- Belgium ranks 126th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium 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
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.