Share of overweight men vs. women in Belgium
Belgium: Share of overweight men vs. women was 55.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of overweight men vs. women in Belgium, 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 Belgium is 55.4%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of overweight men vs. women in Belgium peaked at 58.0% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 46.2%, in 1980.
Belgium ranks 102nd 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 overweight men vs. women in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 46.2% | — |
| 1981 | 46.6% | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 46.9% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 47.3% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 47.7% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 48.2% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 48.6% | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 49.1% | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 49.6% | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 50.1% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 50.5% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 51.0% | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 51.5% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 52.0% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 52.5% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 53.0% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 53.5% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 54.0% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 54.4% | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 54.9% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 55.4% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 55.8% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 56.3% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 56.7% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 57.1% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 57.4% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 57.7% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 57.9% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 58.0% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 58.0% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 57.9% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 57.8% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 57.6% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 57.4% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 57.2% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 57.0% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 56.8% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 56.6% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 56.4% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 56.2% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 56.0% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 55.8% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 55.7% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 55.5% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 55.4% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 48.0% | 46.2% | 50.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 52.7% | 50.5% | 54.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 57.0% | 55.4% | 58.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.1% | 56.2% | 57.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.7% | 55.4% | 56.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More gender data for Belgium
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 1,701 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -1.52 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 49,723 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 52,153 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 50,100 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 52,519 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 53,460 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 56,013 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 57,794 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 60,481 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of overweight men vs. women in Belgium?
- Share of overweight men vs. women in Belgium was 55.4% 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 overweight men vs. women recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 58.0% in 2009.
- What is the lowest share of overweight men vs. women recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.2% in 1980.
- How does Belgium rank for share of overweight men vs. women?
- Belgium ranks 102nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of overweight men vs. women rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium 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.