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

Latest (2024)
30.9%
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
67th
of 199 countries
All-time high
30.9%
in 2024
All-time low
9.3%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Finland, 1980–2024

10152025301980200220241980: 9.3 %1981: 9.7 %1982: 10.1 %1983: 10.5 %1984: 11 %1985: 11.5 %1986: 12 %1987: 12.6 %1988: 13.1 %1989: 13.7 %1990: 14.3 %1991: 14.8 %1992: 15.3 %1993: 15.8 %1994: 16.4 %1995: 16.9 %1996: 17.4 %1997: 18 %1998: 18.5 %1999: 19 %2000: 19.6 %2001: 20.1 %2002: 20.7 %2003: 21.2 %2004: 21.6 %2005: 22.1 %2006: 22.5 %2007: 23 %2008: 23.4 %2009: 23.8 %2010: 24.1 %2011: 24.5 %2012: 24.9 %2013: 25.3 %2014: 25.7 %2015: 26.2 %2016: 26.7 %2017: 27.2 %2018: 27.7 %2019: 28.2 %2020: 28.8 %2021: 29.3 %2022: 29.8 %2023: 30.3 %2024: 30.9 %

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 64 Maldives 32.0% compare
  2. 65 Hungary 31.2% compare
  3. 66 Spain 31.1% compare
  4. 68 El Salvador 30.6% compare
  5. 69 Sweden 30.5% compare
  6. 70 Bosnia and Herzegovina 30.5% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More health data for Finland

All data for Finland →

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

Indicator
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese
Unit
%
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 8,955 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed

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.