Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita in New Zealand
New Zealand: Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita was 34.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita 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 34.7% for share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita in New Zealand peaked at 34.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.5%, in 1980.
New Zealand ranks 43rd 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.
Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 7.5% | — |
| 1981 | 7.9% | +5.9% |
| 1982 | 8.4% | +5.8% |
| 1983 | 8.9% | +5.8% |
| 1984 | 9.4% | +5.9% |
| 1985 | 10.0% | +6.0% |
| 1986 | 10.6% | +6.0% |
| 1987 | 11.2% | +5.8% |
| 1988 | 11.8% | +5.7% |
| 1989 | 12.5% | +5.7% |
| 1990 | 13.2% | +5.7% |
| 1991 | 14.0% | +5.6% |
| 1992 | 14.7% | +5.5% |
| 1993 | 15.6% | +5.5% |
| 1994 | 16.4% | +5.4% |
| 1995 | 17.3% | +5.3% |
| 1996 | 18.1% | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 19.1% | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 20.0% | +4.9% |
| 1999 | 20.9% | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 21.8% | +4.4% |
| 2001 | 22.7% | +4.1% |
| 2002 | 23.6% | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 24.4% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 25.2% | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 25.9% | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 26.7% | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 27.4% | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 28.0% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 28.6% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 29.1% | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 29.6% | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 30.1% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 30.5% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 30.9% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 31.3% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 31.7% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 32.1% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 32.5% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 32.9% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 33.2% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 33.6% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 34.0% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 34.4% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 34.7% | +1.0% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 34.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 30.0%, 1.2× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 34.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 24.6%, 1.4× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.8% | 7.5% | 12.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.9% | 13.2% | 20.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.4% | 21.8% | 28.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.1% | 29.1% | 32.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.0% | 33.2% | 34.7% | 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 share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita in New Zealand?
- Share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita in New Zealand was 34.7% 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 adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 34.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.5% in 1980.
- How does New Zealand rank for share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita?
- New Zealand ranks 43rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.2%. 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 Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita. 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) ≥ 30. BMI is a person's weight (in kilograms) divided by their height (in meters) squared. GDP per capita is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.