Prevalence of overweight in Japan
Japan: Prevalence of overweight was 24.0% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight in Japan, 1990–2022
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/). Measured in % of adults.
Analysis
In 2022, prevalence of overweight in Japan stood at 24.0%. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight in Japan peaked at 24.0% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 18.9%, in 1990.
That places Japan 182nd out of 196 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight in Japan, year by year
| Year | % of adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 18.9% | — |
| 1991 | 19.1% | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 19.3% | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 19.4% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 19.6% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 19.8% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 19.9% | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 20.1% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 20.2% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 20.3% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 20.5% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 20.6% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 20.7% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 20.8% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 20.9% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 21.0% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 21.1% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 21.2% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 21.3% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 21.4% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 21.5% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 21.6% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 21.8% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 21.9% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 22.1% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 22.3% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 22.5% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 22.8% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 23.0% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 23.2% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 23.5% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 23.8% | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 24.0% | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.7% | 18.9% | 20.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.0% | 20.5% | 21.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.3% | 21.5% | 23.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.8% | 23.5% | 24.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 179 Malawi 24.3% compare
- 180 South Sudan 24.2% compare
- 181 Congo 24.2% compare
- 183 Uganda 23.8% compare
- 184 Central African Republic 23.7% compare
- 185 Sierra Leone 22.8% compare
More health data for Japan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.73 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.2774 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,294 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 178 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.22 % 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 0.0155 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.36 % 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 overweight in Japan?
- Prevalence of overweight in Japan was 24.0% in 2022, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).
- What is the highest prevalence of overweight recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 24.0% in 2022.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.9% in 1990.
- How does Japan rank for prevalence of overweight?
- Japan ranks 182nd out of 196 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan 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 (% of adults). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Prevalence of overweight adults is the percentage of adults 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.