Share of women who are overweight or obese in Netherlands
Netherlands: Share of women who are overweight or obese was 40.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of women who are overweight or obese in Netherlands, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Netherlands recorded 40.4% for share of women who are overweight or obese in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are overweight or obese in Netherlands peaked at 41.6% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 32.7%, in 1980.
Netherlands ranks 159th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of women who are overweight or obese in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 32.7% | — |
| 1981 | 33.1% | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 33.4% | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 33.8% | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 34.2% | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 34.5% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 34.9% | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 35.2% | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 35.6% | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 36.0% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 36.4% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 36.7% | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 37.1% | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 37.5% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 37.9% | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 38.4% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 38.8% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 39.2% | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 39.6% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 40.0% | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 40.4% | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 40.7% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 41.0% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 41.2% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 41.3% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 41.5% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 41.5% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 41.6% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 41.6% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 41.5% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 41.5% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 41.4% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 41.3% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 41.2% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 41.1% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 41.0% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 40.9% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 40.8% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 40.8% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 40.7% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 40.6% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 40.6% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 40.5% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 40.5% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 40.4% | -0.1% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 40.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 55.5%, 73% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 40.4% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 49.5%, 82% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 34.3% | 32.7% | 36.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 38.2% | 36.4% | 40.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 41.2% | 40.4% | 41.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.1% | 40.7% | 41.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.5% | 40.4% | 40.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More gender data for Netherlands
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 2,769 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.232 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 15,988 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 15,988 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.366 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 85,418 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 89,789 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 85,046 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 89,271 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 86,477 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women who are overweight or obese in Netherlands?
- Share of women who are overweight or obese in Netherlands was 40.4% 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 Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 41.6% in 2007.
- What is the lowest share of women who are overweight or obese recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.7% in 1980.
- How does Netherlands rank for share of women who are overweight or obese?
- Netherlands ranks 159th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Netherlands 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.