Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Denmark
Denmark: Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese was 17.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Denmark, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Denmark recorded 17.4% for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in 2024.
The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 15.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Denmark peaked at 22.2% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 8.7%, in 1980.
Denmark ranks 138th 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.5% | 8.7% | 14.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.1% | 15.3% | 20.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.9% | 21.1% | 22.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.4% | 19.1% | 21.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.1% | 17.4% | 18.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
More health data for Denmark
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,179 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 31 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 39,820 (2025)
- Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 38,653 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 39,190 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 38,085 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 38,122 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 36,778 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Denmark?
- Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Denmark was 17.4% 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 children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 22.2% in 2005.
- What is the lowest share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.7% in 1980.
- How does Denmark rank for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese?
- Denmark ranks 138th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Denmark 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.