Body weight — Share of population who are obese in New Zealand
New Zealand: Body weight — Share of population who are obese was 34.2 Percentage of population in 2025. ▲ Rising
Body weight — Share of population who are obese in New Zealand, 1989–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of population.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 34.2 Percentage of population for body weight — share of population who are obese in 2025.
That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and up 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, body weight — share of population who are obese in New Zealand peaked at 34.4 Percentage of population in 2021 and was at its lowest, 12.7 Percentage of population, in 1989.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Body weight — Share of population who are obese in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Percentage of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 12.7 Percentage of population | — |
| 1997 | 18.8 Percentage of population | +48.0% |
| 2003 | 25 Percentage of population | +33.0% |
| 2007 | 26.5 Percentage of population | +6.0% |
| 2009 | 27.8 Percentage of population | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 28.6 Percentage of population | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 30.9 Percentage of population | +8.0% |
| 2014 | 30 Percentage of population | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 30.9 Percentage of population | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 31.8 Percentage of population | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 32.4 Percentage of population | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 32.4 Percentage of population | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 31 Percentage of population | -4.3% |
| 2020 | 31.3 Percentage of population | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 34.4 Percentage of population | +9.9% |
| 2023 | 32.5 Percentage of population | -5.5% |
| 2024 | 33.7 Percentage of population | +3.7% |
| 2025 | 34.2 Percentage of population | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 12.7 Percentage of population | 12.7 Percentage of population | 12.7 Percentage of population | 1 |
| 1990s | 18.8 Percentage of population | 18.8 Percentage of population | 18.8 Percentage of population | 1 |
| 2000s | 26.43 Percentage of population | 25 Percentage of population | 27.8 Percentage of population | 3 |
| 2010s | 31 Percentage of population | 28.6 Percentage of population | 32.4 Percentage of population | 8 |
| 2020s | 33.22 Percentage of population | 31.3 Percentage of population | 34.4 Percentage of population | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 1 Latvia 24.3 Percentage of population compare
- 1 United States of America 40.8 Percentage of population compare
- 2 Mexico 36.4 Percentage of population compare
- 3 Argentina 36 Percentage of population compare
- 5 Australia 30.7 Percentage of population compare
- 6 Finland 30.2 Percentage of population compare
- 7 South Africa 30 Percentage of population compare
More population data for New Zealand
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.0744 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -14.71 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.0744 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.0739 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 5,949 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.628 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.191 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.1% (2100)
- Population density 22.07 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 256,010 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is body weight — share of population who are obese in New Zealand?
- Body weight — share of population who are obese in New Zealand was 34.2 Percentage of population in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest body weight — share of population who are obese recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 34.4 Percentage of population in 2021.
- What is the lowest body weight — share of population who are obese recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.7 Percentage of population in 1989.
- How does New Zealand rank for body weight — share of population who are obese?
- New Zealand ranks 4th out of 18 countries with data for 2025.
- Is body weight — share of population who are obese rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Body weight — Share of population who are obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Unhealthy lifestyles and poor environments cause millions of people to die prematurely. Smoking, harmful alcohol use, physical inactivity and obesity are the root cause of many chronic conditions. This dataset presents the latest data for overweight and obesity (measured and self-reported data). Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.