Share of women who are overweight or obese in New Zealand
New Zealand: Share of women who are overweight or obese was 64.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of women who are overweight or obese in New Zealand, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of women who are overweight or obese in New Zealand is 64.7%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are overweight or obese in New Zealand peaked at 64.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 29.8%, in 1980.
That places New Zealand 66th 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 New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 29.8% | — |
| 1981 | 30.8% | +3.2% |
| 1982 | 31.8% | +3.2% |
| 1983 | 32.8% | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 33.9% | +3.2% |
| 1985 | 34.9% | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 36.0% | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 37.1% | +3.0% |
| 1988 | 38.2% | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 39.3% | +2.9% |
| 1990 | 40.4% | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 41.6% | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 42.7% | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 43.8% | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 45.0% | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 46.1% | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 47.2% | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 48.3% | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 49.4% | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 50.4% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 51.4% | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 52.3% | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 53.2% | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 54.0% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 54.8% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 55.5% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 56.2% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 56.9% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 57.5% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 58.1% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 58.6% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 59.1% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 59.6% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 60.0% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 60.5% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 60.9% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 61.4% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 61.8% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 62.2% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 62.7% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 63.1% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 63.5% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 63.9% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 64.3% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 64.7% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 34.5% | 29.8% | 39.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 45.5% | 40.4% | 50.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 55.0% | 51.4% | 58.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 60.7% | 58.6% | 62.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 63.9% | 63.1% | 64.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 63 Mauritania 65.9% compare
- 64 Iran, Islamic Republic of 65.0% compare
- 65 Algeria 65.0% compare
- 67 Türkiye 64.6% compare
- 68 Uzbekistan 64.5% compare
- 69 Colombia 64.4% compare
More gender data for New Zealand
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 907.87 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.6435 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 4,499 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 4,499 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.7305 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 28,751 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 30,320 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 29,075 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 30,663 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 29,141 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women who are overweight or obese in New Zealand?
- Share of women who are overweight or obese in New Zealand was 64.7% 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 New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 64.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of women who are overweight or obese recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.8% in 1980.
- How does New Zealand rank for share of women who are overweight or obese?
- New Zealand ranks 66th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are overweight or obese rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand 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.
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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.