Overweight among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +1 standard in Australia
Australia: Overweight among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +1 standard was 37.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
37.5%
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
34th
of 198 countries
All-time high
37.5%
in 2024
All-time low
15.0%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024
Overweight among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +1 standard in Australia, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
Australia recorded 37.5% for overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard in 2024. 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 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard in Australia peaked at 37.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 15.0%, in 1980.
That places Australia 34th 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.
Overweight among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +1 standard in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 15.0% | — |
| 1981 | 15.5% | +3.6% |
| 1982 | 16.0% | +3.6% |
| 1983 | 16.6% | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 17.2% | +3.6% |
| 1985 | 17.8% | +3.6% |
| 1986 | 18.5% | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 19.2% | +3.6% |
| 1988 | 19.8% | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 20.5% | +3.5% |
| 1990 | 21.2% | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 21.9% | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 22.6% | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 23.3% | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 24.0% | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 24.8% | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 25.5% | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 26.2% | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 26.9% | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 27.6% | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 28.3% | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 29.0% | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 29.6% | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 30.2% | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 30.7% | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 31.2% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 31.6% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 31.9% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 32.3% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 32.6% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 32.8% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 33.1% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 33.4% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 33.6% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 33.9% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 34.3% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 34.6% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 35.0% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 35.4% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 35.7% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 36.1% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 36.5% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 36.8% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 37.2% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 37.5% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 17.6% | 15.0% | 20.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 24.4% | 21.2% | 27.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 30.7% | 28.3% | 32.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.2% | 32.8% | 35.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.8% | 36.1% | 37.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 31 United States of America 38.2% compare
- 32 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 37.8% compare
- 33 Republic of Korea 37.7% compare
- 35 Puerto Rico 37.5% compare
- 36 Mexico 37.4% compare
- 37 Kuwait 37.4% compare
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)
- Population ages 30-34, female, annual growth rate -0.3038 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, per capita 0.0361 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, annual growth rate 0.6574 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per capita 0.0363 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard in Australia?
- Overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard in Australia was 37.5% in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 37.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.0% in 1980.
- How does Australia rank for overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard?
- Australia ranks 34th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.6%. 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 Overweight among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +1 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).