Overweight or obesity is the leading risk factor for many preventable chronic conditions, including heart disease, some cancers and type 2 diabetes.
Over the last decade, the proportion of adults living with obesity has increased. This web report explores the number of Australians living with overweight and obesity, how the prevalence varies by different sociodemographic characteristics and how it has changed over time. It also looks at the impacts of overweight and obesity on the health system, such as health spending, hospitalisations and deaths.
- Cat. no: PHE 251
Key findings
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Overweight (including obesity) was the leading risk factor contributing to ill health and death in 2024
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In 2022–24, around 2 in 3 (67%) adults lived with overweight or obesity. This proportion did not change from 2017–18
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In 2022–24, 48% of adults lived with abdominal obesity, an increase from 41% in 2017–18
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In 2022–24, around 1 in 4 (27%) children aged 2–17 lived with overweight or obesity