Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand: Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight was 23.4 % in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
23.4 %
Change on year
up 4.5%
World rank
2nd
of 148 countries
All-time high
23.4 %
in 2024
All-time low
7 %
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Australia and New Zealand, 2000–2024

5101520252000201220242000: 7 %2001: 7.3 %2002: 7.5 %2003: 7.8 %2004: 8.1 %2005: 8.5 %2006: 8.9 %2007: 9.4 %2008: 9.9 %2009: 10.4 %2010: 11 %2011: 11.7 %2012: 12.4 %2013: 13.1 %2014: 13.9 %2015: 14.8 %2016: 15.7 %2017: 16.6 %2018: 17.5 %2019: 18.5 %2020: 19.4 %2021: 20.4 %2022: 21.4 %2023: 22.4 %2024: 23.4 %

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2024, percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Australia and New Zealand stood at 23.4 %. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.5% on the previous year and up 68.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Australia and New Zealand peaked at 23.4 % in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7 %, in 2000.

That places Australia and New Zealand 2nd out of 148 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Australia and New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight (modelled estimates) (percent) — Value in Australia and New Zealand, 2000 to 2024.
Year % Change
2000 7 %
2001 7.3 % +4.3%
2002 7.5 % +2.7%
2003 7.8 % +4.0%
2004 8.1 % +3.8%
2005 8.5 % +4.9%
2006 8.9 % +4.7%
2007 9.4 % +5.6%
2008 9.9 % +5.3%
2009 10.4 % +5.1%
2010 11 % +5.8%
2011 11.7 % +6.4%
2012 12.4 % +6.0%
2013 13.1 % +5.6%
2014 13.9 % +6.1%
2015 14.8 % +6.5%
2016 15.7 % +6.1%
2017 16.6 % +5.7%
2018 17.5 % +5.4%
2019 18.5 % +5.7%
2020 19.4 % +4.9%
2021 20.4 % +5.2%
2022 21.4 % +4.9%
2023 22.4 % +4.7%
2024 23.4 % +4.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 8.48 % 7 % 10.4 % 10
2010s 14.52 % 11 % 18.5 % 10
2020s 21.4 % 19.4 % 23.4 % 5

Countries ranked near Australia and New Zealand

  1. 1 Australia 26.4 % compare
  2. 1 Melanesia 16.6 % compare
  3. 2 Syrian Arab Republic 11 % compare
  4. 3 Papua New Guinea 18.5 % compare
  5. 3 Viet Nam 10.5 % compare
  6. 4 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 9.9 % compare
  7. 4 Tunisia 17.5 % compare
  8. 5 Albania 16.7 % compare
  9. 5 Polynesia 8.9 % compare

See the full ranking of 204 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Australia and New Zealand

All data for Australia and New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Australia and New Zealand?
Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Australia and New Zealand was 23.4 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight recorded in Australia and New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 23.4 % in 2024.
What is the lowest percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight recorded in Australia and New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 7 % in 2000.
How does Australia and New Zealand rank for percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight?
Australia and New Zealand ranks 2nd out of 148 countries with data for 2024.
Is percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight rising or falling in Australia and New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 68.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia and New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight (modelled estimates) (percent) — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Australia and New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 19 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-children-under-5-years-of-age-who-are-overweight-modelled-estimates-percent/australia-and-new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight (modelled estimates) (percent) — Value
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
204 places, 5,100 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

The Suite of Food Security Indicators presents the core set of food security indicators. Following the recommendation of experts gathered in the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) Round Table on hunger measurement, hosted at FAO headquarters in September 2011, an initial set of indicators aiming to capture various aspects of food insecurity is presented here. The choice of the indicators has been informed by expert judgement and the availability of data with sufficient coverage to enable comparisons across regions and over time. Many of these indicators are produced and published elsewhere by FAO and other international organizations. They are reported here in a single database with the aim of building a wide food security information system. More indicators will be added to this set as more data will become available. Indicators are classified along the four dimensions of food security -- availability, access, utilization and stability.