Obesity among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +2 standard in Australia
Australia: Obesity among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +2 standard was 17.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
17.7%
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
40th
of 198 countries
All-time high
17.7%
in 2024
All-time low
2.8%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024
Obesity among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +2 standard in Australia, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
Australia recorded 17.7% for obesity among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +2 standard in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 32.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, obesity among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +2 standard in Australia peaked at 17.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.8%, in 1980.
That places Australia 40th out of 198 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Obesity among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +2 standard in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 2.8% | — |
| 1981 | 3.0% | +7.5% |
| 1982 | 3.2% | +7.6% |
| 1983 | 3.4% | +7.5% |
| 1984 | 3.7% | +7.5% |
| 1985 | 4.0% | +7.5% |
| 1986 | 4.3% | +7.4% |
| 1987 | 4.6% | +7.3% |
| 1988 | 4.9% | +7.2% |
| 1989 | 5.3% | +6.9% |
| 1990 | 5.6% | +6.7% |
| 1991 | 6.0% | +6.5% |
| 1992 | 6.3% | +6.3% |
| 1993 | 6.7% | +6.0% |
| 1994 | 7.1% | +5.7% |
| 1995 | 7.5% | +5.5% |
| 1996 | 7.9% | +5.2% |
| 1997 | 8.3% | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 8.7% | +4.8% |
| 1999 | 9.1% | +4.6% |
| 2000 | 9.5% | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 9.8% | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 10.2% | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 10.5% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 10.8% | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 11.1% | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 11.3% | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 11.5% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 11.8% | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 12.0% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 12.2% | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 12.5% | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 12.7% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 13.0% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 13.3% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 13.7% | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 14.1% | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 14.5% | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 14.9% | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 15.3% | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 15.8% | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 16.3% | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 16.7% | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 17.2% | +2.8% |
| 2024 | 17.7% | +2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.9% | 2.8% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.3% | 5.6% | 9.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.8% | 9.5% | 12.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.6% | 12.2% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.7% | 15.8% | 17.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More health data for Australia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.83 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.9072 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 906.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 215 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2021)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.45 % 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 0.0279 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.35 % 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 obesity among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +2 standard in Australia?
- Obesity among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +2 standard in Australia was 17.7% in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest obesity among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +2 standard recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 17.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest obesity among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +2 standard recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.8% in 1980.
- How does Australia rank for obesity among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +2 standard?
- Australia ranks 40th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is obesity among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +2 standard rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Obesity among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +2 standard deviations above the median (crude estimate) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).