Obesity in men vs. women in New Zealand
New Zealand: Obesity in men vs. women was 32.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Obesity in men vs. women in New Zealand, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 32.3% for obesity in men vs. women in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, obesity in men vs. women in New Zealand peaked at 32.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.9%, in 1980.
New Zealand ranks 30th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Obesity in men vs. women in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 6.9% | — |
| 1981 | 7.3% | +6.0% |
| 1982 | 7.7% | +6.0% |
| 1983 | 8.2% | +6.0% |
| 1984 | 8.7% | +6.0% |
| 1985 | 9.2% | +5.9% |
| 1986 | 9.7% | +5.9% |
| 1987 | 10.3% | +5.9% |
| 1988 | 10.9% | +5.8% |
| 1989 | 11.5% | +5.8% |
| 1990 | 12.2% | +5.8% |
| 1991 | 12.9% | +5.8% |
| 1992 | 13.7% | +5.8% |
| 1993 | 14.4% | +5.7% |
| 1994 | 15.2% | +5.6% |
| 1995 | 16.1% | +5.5% |
| 1996 | 16.9% | +5.3% |
| 1997 | 17.8% | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 18.7% | +5.0% |
| 1999 | 19.6% | +4.8% |
| 2000 | 20.5% | +4.6% |
| 2001 | 21.4% | +4.4% |
| 2002 | 22.3% | +4.2% |
| 2003 | 23.2% | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 24.0% | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 24.8% | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 25.5% | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 26.2% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 26.8% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 27.4% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 27.9% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 28.3% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 28.7% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 29.1% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 29.4% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 29.8% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 30.1% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 30.4% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 30.7% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 31.0% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 31.3% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 31.5% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 31.8% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 32.1% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 32.3% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.0% | 6.9% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.8% | 12.2% | 19.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.2% | 20.5% | 27.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.5% | 27.9% | 31.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.8% | 31.3% | 32.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More health data for New Zealand
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.94 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.4815 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,116 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 33 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.1187 % 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 0.0277 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.018 % 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 in men vs. women in New Zealand?
- Obesity in men vs. women in New Zealand was 32.3% 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 New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 32.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest obesity in men vs. women recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.9% in 1980.
- How does New Zealand rank for obesity in men vs. women?
- New Zealand ranks 30th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is obesity in men vs. women rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand 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.