Share of women who are overweight or obese in Sweden
Sweden: Share of women who are overweight or obese was 44.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of women who are overweight or obese in Sweden, 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 Sweden stood at 44.6%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are overweight or obese in Sweden peaked at 44.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 29.6%, in 1980.
Sweden ranks 139th 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 Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 29.6% | — |
| 1981 | 30.0% | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 30.5% | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 31.0% | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 31.4% | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 31.9% | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 32.3% | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 32.8% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 33.3% | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 33.7% | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 34.2% | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 34.6% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 35.1% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 35.6% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 36.1% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 36.6% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 37.1% | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 37.6% | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 38.1% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 38.6% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 39.1% | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 39.5% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 39.9% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 40.2% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 40.6% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 40.8% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 41.1% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 41.3% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 41.5% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 41.6% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 41.8% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 41.9% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 42.0% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 42.2% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 42.3% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 42.5% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 42.7% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 42.9% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 43.1% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 43.3% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 43.6% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 43.8% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 44.1% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 44.3% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 44.6% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 31.7% | 29.6% | 33.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 36.4% | 34.2% | 38.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.6% | 39.1% | 41.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.5% | 41.8% | 43.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.1% | 43.6% | 44.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More gender data for Sweden
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 1,663 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -1.5 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 47,810 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 50,483 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 48,381 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 51,112 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 50,315 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 53,236 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 54,852 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 57,789 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women who are overweight or obese in Sweden?
- Share of women who are overweight or obese in Sweden was 44.6% 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 44.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of women who are overweight or obese recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.6% in 1980.
- How does Sweden rank for share of women who are overweight or obese?
- Sweden ranks 139th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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.