Share of overweight men vs. women in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Share of overweight men vs. women was 61.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of overweight men vs. women in Bulgaria, 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 Bulgaria is 61.1%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of overweight men vs. women in Bulgaria peaked at 61.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 40.1%, in 1980.
That places Bulgaria 78th 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 overweight men vs. women in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 40.1% | — |
| 1981 | 40.7% | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 41.3% | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 41.9% | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 42.4% | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 43.0% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 43.5% | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 44.1% | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 44.6% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 45.1% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 45.5% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 46.0% | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 46.4% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 46.8% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 47.2% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 47.6% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 48.1% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 48.5% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 49.0% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 49.6% | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 50.2% | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 50.9% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 51.5% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 52.2% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 52.9% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 53.7% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 54.4% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 55.0% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 55.7% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 56.3% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 56.8% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 57.3% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 57.8% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 58.2% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 58.5% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 58.9% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 59.2% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 59.5% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 59.7% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 59.9% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 60.1% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 60.4% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 60.6% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 60.8% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 61.1% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 42.7% | 40.1% | 45.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 47.5% | 45.5% | 49.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 53.3% | 50.2% | 56.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.6% | 56.8% | 59.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 60.6% | 60.1% | 61.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More gender data for Bulgaria
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 907.24 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -1.48 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 29,446 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 31,195 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 29,990 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 31,775 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 30,724 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 32,554 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 29,940 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 31,598 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of overweight men vs. women in Bulgaria?
- Share of overweight men vs. women in Bulgaria was 61.1% 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 Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 61.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of overweight men vs. women recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.1% in 1980.
- How does Bulgaria rank for share of overweight men vs. women?
- Bulgaria ranks 78th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of overweight men vs. women rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria 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.