Obesity in adults — all countries

Obesity in adults — Northern Europe

Obesity in adults in Northern Europe in 2024 — 24.8%. Since 1980, the indicator has risen by 16.8 pp.

2024 24.8% +0.2 pp vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 24.8%2024
Period minimum 8.1%1980

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Obesity in adults — Northern Europe, 1980–2024010203019801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 8.1%1981: 8.4%1982: 8.7%1983: 9.1%1984: 9.4%1985: 9.8%1986: 10.2%1987: 10.6%1988: 11%1989: 11.4%1990: 11.9%1991: 12.4%1992: 12.9%1993: 13.4%1994: 13.9%1995: 14.5%1996: 15%1997: 15.6%1998: 16.2%1999: 16.8%2000: 17.4%2001: 18%2002: 18.5%2003: 19.1%2004: 19.6%2005: 20.1%2006: 20.5%2007: 20.9%2008: 21.3%2009: 21.6%2010: 21.9%2011: 22.2%2012: 22.4%2013: 22.6%2014: 22.8%2015: 23%2016: 23.2%2017: 23.4%2018: 23.6%2019: 23.8%2020: 24%2021: 24.2%2022: 24.4%2023: 24.6%2024: 24.8%
Change over the period: +16.8 pp Annual average: 0.38 pp

Comparison, 2024

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Northern Europe

Northern Europe 24.8%
World computed 16.1%
Obesity in adults — Northern Europe, by year Northern Europe All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 24.8 +0.2 pp
2023 24.6 +0.2 pp
2022 24.4 +0.2 pp
2021 24.2 +0.2 pp
2020 24 +0.2 pp
2019 23.8 +0.2 pp
2018 23.6 +0.2 pp
2017 23.4 +0.2 pp
2016 23.2 +0.2 pp
2015 23 +0.2 pp
2014 22.8 +0.2 pp
2013 22.6 +0.2 pp
2012 22.4 +0.2 pp
2011 22.2 +0.2 pp
2010 21.9 +0.3 pp
2009 21.6 +0.3 pp
2008 21.3 +0.4 pp
2007 20.9 +0.4 pp
2006 20.5 +0.4 pp
2005 20.1 +0.5 pp
2004 19.6 +0.5 pp
2003 19.1 +0.5 pp
2002 18.5 +0.6 pp
2001 18 +0.6 pp
2000 17.4 +0.6 pp
1999 16.8 +0.6 pp
1998 16.2 +0.6 pp
1997 15.6 +0.6 pp
1996 15 +0.6 pp
1995 14.5 +0.6 pp
1994 13.9 +0.5 pp
1993 13.4 +0.5 pp
1992 12.9 +0.5 pp
1991 12.4 +0.5 pp
1990 11.9 +0.5 pp
1989 11.4 +0.4 pp
1988 11 +0.4 pp
1987 10.6 +0.4 pp
1986 10.2 +0.4 pp
1985 9.8 +0.4 pp
1984 9.4 +0.4 pp
1983 9.1 +0.3 pp
1982 8.7 +0.3 pp
1981 8.4 +0.3 pp
1980 8.1

About the indicator

The share of people aged 18 and over with a body mass index of 30 kg/m² and above. The series has been kept since 1980 and shows one of the fastest changes in the health of populations in the whole history of observation: in most countries the share has grown two- to threefold. The top of the ranking is held not by rich countries, as one might expect, but by the islands of Oceania and the Persian Gulf, where the shift to purchased food happened within one generation.

Important: The aggregate by country group is weighted by the whole population rather than the adult one: the share of adults differs between countries by a factor of about 1.5, so young countries get a slightly larger weight than they should.

Source: Global Health Observatory (WHO), license CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.