Obesity in men vs. women in Denmark
Denmark: Obesity in men vs. women was 15.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Obesity in men vs. women in Denmark, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, obesity in men vs. women in Denmark stood at 15.5%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, obesity in men vs. women in Denmark peaked at 15.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.2%, in 1980.
Denmark ranks 126th 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.
Obesity in men vs. women in Denmark, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 5.2% | — |
| 1981 | 5.4% | +5.1% |
| 1982 | 5.7% | +5.1% |
| 1983 | 6.0% | +5.0% |
| 1984 | 6.3% | +4.9% |
| 1985 | 6.6% | +4.8% |
| 1986 | 6.9% | +4.7% |
| 1987 | 7.2% | +4.5% |
| 1988 | 7.5% | +4.4% |
| 1989 | 7.8% | +4.3% |
| 1990 | 8.2% | +4.1% |
| 1991 | 8.5% | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 8.8% | +3.9% |
| 1993 | 9.2% | +3.8% |
| 1994 | 9.5% | +3.8% |
| 1995 | 9.9% | +3.7% |
| 1996 | 10.2% | +3.6% |
| 1997 | 10.6% | +3.6% |
| 1998 | 11.0% | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 11.3% | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 11.7% | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 12.1% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 12.5% | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 12.8% | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 13.1% | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 13.4% | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 13.7% | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 13.9% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 14.1% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 14.2% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 14.3% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 14.3% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 14.3% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 14.3% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 14.4% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 14.4% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 14.5% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 14.6% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 14.7% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 14.8% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 14.9% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 15.0% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 15.2% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 15.3% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 15.5% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.5% | 5.2% | 7.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.7% | 8.2% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.2% | 11.7% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.5% | 14.3% | 14.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.2% | 14.9% | 15.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
- 123 Solomon Islands 16.2% compare
- 124 Mauritius 16.0% compare
- 125 Algeria 15.6% compare
- 127 Eswatini 15.0% compare
- 128 Afghanistan 14.6% compare
- 129 South Africa 14.5% compare
More health data for Denmark
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -3.12 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.1019 % change on previous year (2090)
- 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)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 12 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is obesity in men vs. women in Denmark?
- Obesity in men vs. women in Denmark was 15.5% in 2024, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest obesity in men vs. women recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 15.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest obesity in men vs. women recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.2% in 1980.
- How does Denmark rank for obesity in men vs. women?
- Denmark ranks 126th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is obesity in men vs. women rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.6%. 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 Obesity in men vs. women. 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
Obesity is defined as having a body-mass index (BMI) equal to, or greater than, 30. BMI is a person's weight (in kilograms) divided by their height (in meters) squared.