Share of women who are overweight or obese in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Share of women who are overweight or obese was 40.9% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Share of women who are overweight or obese in Bulgaria, 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 overweight or obese in Bulgaria stood at 40.9%. That is the lowest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are overweight or obese in Bulgaria peaked at 44.4% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 40.9%, in 2024.
That places Bulgaria 155th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Share of women who are overweight or obese in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 44.4% | — |
| 1981 | 44.2% | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 44.1% | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 44.0% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 43.8% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 43.7% | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 43.6% | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 43.4% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 43.3% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 43.2% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 43.1% | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 42.9% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 42.8% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 42.7% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 42.7% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 42.6% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 42.6% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 42.6% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 42.6% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 42.6% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 42.7% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 42.7% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 42.8% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 42.8% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 42.9% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 42.9% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 43.0% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 43.0% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 43.0% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 43.0% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 43.0% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 43.0% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 43.0% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 42.9% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 42.8% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 42.7% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 42.6% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 42.4% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 42.3% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 42.1% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 41.8% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 41.6% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 41.4% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 41.2% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 40.9% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 43.8% | 43.2% | 44.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 42.7% | 42.6% | 43.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.9% | 42.7% | 43.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.7% | 42.1% | 43.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.4% | 40.9% | 41.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More gender data for Bulgaria
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 907.24 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -1.48 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 29,446 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 31,195 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 29,990 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 31,775 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 30,724 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 32,554 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 29,940 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 31,598 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women who are overweight or obese in Bulgaria?
- Share of women who are overweight or obese in Bulgaria was 40.9% 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 Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 44.4% in 1980.
- What is the lowest share of women who are overweight or obese recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.9% in 2024.
- How does Bulgaria rank for share of women who are overweight or obese?
- Bulgaria ranks 155th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Bulgaria 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.