Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Canada
Canada: Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese was 28.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Canada, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Canada recorded 28.3% for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Canada peaked at 29.8% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 15.4%, in 1980.
That places Canada 86th 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 17.5% | 15.4% | 19.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.2% | 20.4% | 26.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 28.6% | 26.6% | 29.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.4% | 29.0% | 29.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.6% | 28.3% | 28.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More health data for Canada
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,083 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 385 deaths (2100)
- Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 0 deaths (2026)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 deaths (2026)
- Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 283,794 (2025)
- Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 266,829 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 271,934 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 258,927 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 254,587 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 245,661 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Canada?
- Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Canada was 28.3% 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 children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 29.8% in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.4% in 1980.
- How does Canada rank for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese?
- Canada ranks 86th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada 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 children and adolescents 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
Share of children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years old that are defined as either overweight or obese. This means their weight-for-height is more than one standard deviations from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards.