Share of overweight men vs. women in Australia
Australia: Share of overweight men vs. women was 70.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of overweight men vs. women in Australia, 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 overweight men vs. women in Australia is 70.2%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of overweight men vs. women in Australia peaked at 70.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 43.8%, in 1980.
Australia ranks 27th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of overweight men vs. women in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 43.8% | — |
| 1981 | 44.8% | +2.2% |
| 1982 | 45.8% | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 46.8% | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 47.8% | +2.2% |
| 1985 | 48.9% | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 49.9% | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 51.0% | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 52.0% | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 53.1% | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 54.2% | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 55.2% | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 56.2% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 57.2% | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 58.1% | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 59.0% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 59.8% | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 60.6% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 61.3% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 62.0% | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 62.7% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 63.4% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 64.0% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 64.6% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 65.1% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 65.6% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 66.1% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 66.5% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 66.9% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 67.2% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 67.5% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 67.7% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 67.9% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 68.1% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 68.3% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 68.5% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 68.8% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 69.0% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 69.2% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 69.4% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 69.5% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 69.7% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 69.9% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 70.0% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 70.2% | +0.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 70.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 65.1%, 1.1× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Australia's 70.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 53.7%, 1.3× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 48.4% | 43.8% | 53.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 58.4% | 54.2% | 62.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 65.2% | 62.7% | 67.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.4% | 67.5% | 69.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 69.9% | 69.5% | 70.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More gender data for Australia
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 4,759 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.0804 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 23,430 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 23,430 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.02 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 149,630 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 157,746 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 150,777 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 158,898 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 151,066 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of overweight men vs. women in Australia?
- Share of overweight men vs. women in Australia was 70.2% 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 overweight men vs. women recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 70.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of overweight men vs. women recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.8% in 1980.
- How does Australia rank for share of overweight men vs. women?
- Australia ranks 27th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of overweight men vs. women rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia 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 overweight men vs. women. 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.