Share of women who are overweight or obese in Iceland
Iceland: Share of women who are overweight or obese was 50.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of women who are overweight or obese in Iceland, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 50.6% for share of women who are overweight or obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are overweight or obese in Iceland peaked at 50.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 29.4%, in 1980.
Iceland ranks 116th 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 overweight or obese in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 29.4% | — |
| 1981 | 30.0% | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 30.6% | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 31.2% | +2.1% |
| 1984 | 31.9% | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 32.5% | +2.0% |
| 1986 | 33.2% | +2.0% |
| 1987 | 33.8% | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 34.5% | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 35.2% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 35.8% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 36.5% | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 37.2% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 37.8% | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 38.5% | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 39.2% | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 39.8% | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 40.5% | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 41.2% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 41.8% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 42.4% | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 43.0% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 43.6% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 44.1% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 44.6% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 45.0% | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 45.4% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 45.8% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 46.1% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 46.4% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 46.7% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 46.9% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 47.2% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 47.4% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 47.7% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 48.0% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 48.3% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 48.6% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 48.8% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 49.1% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 49.4% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 49.7% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 50.0% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 50.3% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 50.6% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 32.2% | 29.4% | 35.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 38.8% | 35.8% | 41.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 44.6% | 42.4% | 46.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 47.9% | 46.7% | 49.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 50.0% | 49.4% | 50.6% | 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 overweight or obese in Iceland?
- Share of women who are overweight or obese in Iceland was 50.6% 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 50.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of women who are overweight or obese recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.4% in 1980.
- How does Iceland rank for share of women who are overweight or obese?
- Iceland ranks 116th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.1%. 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 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.