Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Finland
Finland: Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese was 30.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Finland, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Finland stood at 30.9%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 19.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Finland peaked at 30.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.3%, in 1980.
That places Finland 67th 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 children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Finland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 9.3% | — |
| 1981 | 9.7% | +4.3% |
| 1982 | 10.1% | +4.3% |
| 1983 | 10.5% | +4.3% |
| 1984 | 11.0% | +4.4% |
| 1985 | 11.5% | +4.5% |
| 1986 | 12.0% | +4.6% |
| 1987 | 12.6% | +4.6% |
| 1988 | 13.1% | +4.5% |
| 1989 | 13.7% | +4.2% |
| 1990 | 14.3% | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 14.8% | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 15.3% | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 15.8% | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 16.4% | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 16.9% | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 17.4% | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 18.0% | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 18.5% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 19.0% | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 19.6% | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 20.1% | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 20.7% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 21.2% | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 21.6% | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 22.1% | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 22.5% | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 23.0% | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 23.4% | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 23.8% | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 24.1% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 24.5% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 24.9% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 25.3% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 25.7% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 26.2% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 26.7% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 27.2% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 27.7% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 28.2% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 28.8% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 29.3% | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 29.8% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 30.3% | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 30.9% | +1.7% |
Finland compared with similar countries
- Finland's 30.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 30.7%, 1.0× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Finland's 30.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 25.1%, 1.2× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.4% | 9.3% | 13.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.6% | 14.3% | 19.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.8% | 19.6% | 23.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.1% | 24.1% | 28.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.8% | 28.8% | 30.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Finland
More health data for Finland
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.4544 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,271 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 11 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.4631 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0202 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.1502 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Finland?
- Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Finland was 30.9% 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 Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 30.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.3% in 1980.
- How does Finland rank for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese?
- Finland ranks 67th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Finland 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.