Prevalence of overweight, female in World
World: Prevalence of overweight, female was 39.2% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight, female in World, 1975–2016
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/). Measured in % of female adults.
Analysis
World recorded 39.2% for prevalence of overweight, female in 2016. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and up 14.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, female in World peaked at 39.2% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 22.7%, in 1975.
That places World 29th out of 43 groups with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight, female in World, year by year
| Year | % of female adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 22.7% | — |
| 1976 | 23.1% | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 23.4% | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 23.7% | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 24.0% | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 24.4% | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 24.7% | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 25.1% | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 25.4% | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 25.7% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 26.1% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 26.4% | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 26.8% | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 27.2% | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 27.5% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 27.9% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 28.2% | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 28.6% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 29.0% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 29.4% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 29.7% | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 30.1% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 30.5% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 30.9% | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 31.3% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 31.7% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 32.2% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 32.6% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 33.0% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 33.5% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 33.9% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 34.4% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 34.8% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 35.3% | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 35.8% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 36.3% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 36.7% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 37.2% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 37.7% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 38.2% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 38.7% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 39.2% | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 23.4% | 22.7% | 24.0% | 5 |
| 1980s | 25.9% | 24.4% | 27.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.6% | 27.9% | 31.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 33.7% | 31.7% | 35.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.7% | 36.3% | 39.2% | 7 |
Countries ranked near World
More health data for World
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2,458 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.47 % 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 0.0381 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.6031 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0401 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, annual growth rate -0.915 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per capita 0.04 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight, female in World?
- Prevalence of overweight, female in World was 39.2% in 2016, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).
- What is the highest prevalence of overweight, female recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 39.2% in 2016.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, female recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.7% in 1975.
- How does World rank for prevalence of overweight, female?
- World ranks 29th out of 43 groups with data for 2016.
- Is prevalence of overweight, female rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/), published as part of Prevalence of overweight, female (% of female adults). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Prevalence of overweight female adults is the percentage of females ages 18 and over whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is more than 25 kg/m2. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height, or the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters.