Prevalence of obesity among children aged 5-19 years, BMI > +2 in New Zealand
New Zealand: Prevalence of obesity among children aged 5-19 years, BMI > +2 was 17.78 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
17.78
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
37th
of 193 countries
All-time high
17.78
in 2022
All-time low
4.73
in 1990
Years of data
33
1990–2022
Prevalence of obesity among children aged 5-19 years, BMI > +2 in New Zealand, 1990–2022
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of obesity among children aged 5-19 years, bmi > +2 in New Zealand is 17.78, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 15.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of obesity among children aged 5-19 years, bmi > +2 in New Zealand peaked at 17.78 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 4.73, in 1990.
New Zealand ranks 37th of 193 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Prevalence of obesity among children aged 5-19 years, BMI > +2 in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4.73 | — |
| 1991 | 5.17 | +9.3% |
| 1992 | 5.64 | +9.1% |
| 1993 | 6.15 | +9.0% |
| 1994 | 6.7 | +8.9% |
| 1995 | 7.27 | +8.5% |
| 1996 | 7.87 | +8.3% |
| 1997 | 8.49 | +7.9% |
| 1998 | 9.13 | +7.5% |
| 1999 | 9.78 | +7.1% |
| 2000 | 10.43 | +6.6% |
| 2001 | 11.06 | +6.0% |
| 2002 | 11.66 | +5.4% |
| 2003 | 12.21 | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 12.71 | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 13.16 | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 13.58 | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 13.96 | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 14.3 | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 14.62 | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 14.91 | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 15.19 | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 15.44 | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 15.67 | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 15.9 | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 16.13 | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 16.36 | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 16.59 | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 16.82 | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 17.06 | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 17.3 | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 17.54 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 17.78 | +1.4% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 17.78 is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.55, 1.5× the median. (61 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 17.78 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 13.25, 1.3× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.09 | 4.73 | 9.78 | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.77 | 10.43 | 14.62 | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.01 | 14.91 | 17.06 | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.54 | 17.3 | 17.78 | 3 |
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 prevalence of obesity among children aged 5-19 years, bmi > +2 in New Zealand?
- Prevalence of obesity among children aged 5-19 years, bmi > +2 in New Zealand was 17.78 in 2022, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest prevalence of obesity among children aged 5-19 years, bmi > +2 recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 17.78 in 2022.
- What is the lowest prevalence of obesity among children aged 5-19 years, bmi > +2 recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.73 in 1990.
- How does New Zealand rank for prevalence of obesity among children aged 5-19 years, bmi > +2?
- New Zealand ranks 37th out of 193 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of obesity among children aged 5-19 years, bmi > +2 rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Prevalence of obesity among children aged 5-19 years, BMI > +2 standard deviations above the median (Crude estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).