Obesity Rates by Country
Rank
Countries Amount # 1
United States:30.6%
# 2
Mexico:24.2%
# 3
United Kingdom:23%
# 4
Slovakia:22.4%
# 5
Greece:21.9%
# 6
Australia:21.7%
# 7
New Zealand:20.9%
# 8
Hungary:18.8%
# 9
Luxembourg:18.4%
# 10
Czech Republic:14.8%
# 11
Canada:14.3%
# 12
Spain:13.1%
# 13
Ireland:13%
# 14
Germany:12.9%
= 15
Portugal:12.8%
= 15
Finland:12.8%
# 17
Iceland:12.4%
# 18
Turkey:12%
# 19
Belgium:11.7%
# 20
Netherlands:10%
# 21
Sweden:9.7%
# 22
Denmark:9.5%
# 23
France:9.4%
# 24
Austria:9.1%
# 25
Italy:8.5%
# 26
Norway:8.3%
# 27
Switzerland:7.7%
= 28
Japan:3.2%
= 28
Korea, South:3.2%
Weighted average:14.1%
DEFINITION: Percentage of total population who have a BMI (body mass index) greater than 30 Kg/sq.meters (Data for Australia, Austria and Portugal is from 2002. All other data is from 2003). Obesity rates are defined as the percentage of the population with a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 30. The BMI is a single number that evaluates an individual's weight status in relation to height (weight/height2, with weight in kilograms and height in metres). For Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, figures are based on health examinations, rather than self-reported information. Obesity estimates derived from health examinations are generally higher and more reliable than those coming from self-reports, because they preclude any misreporting of people's height and weight. However, health examinations are only conducted regularly in a few countries (OECD).
SOURCE:
OECD Health Data 2005