Living with overweight or obesity can have major impacts on a person’s physical and mental health and wellbeing and is the second leading risk factor for ill-health and premature mortality in Australia.
It increases the risk of many preventable chronic conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and many types of cancer.
The latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report shows that based on the latest available data of adults aged 18 and over:
- Two in 3 (67 per cent) are living with overweight or obesity. This is approximately 12.5 million adults.
- 36 per cent are living with overweight but not obesity.
- 31 per cent are living with obesity.
- 12 per cent are living with severe obesity, which is defined in this report as having a BMI of 35 or more.
For all measures of overweight and obesity, men had higher rates than women did:
- 75 per cent of men and 60 per cent of women are living with overweight or obesity.
- 42 per cent of men and 30 per cent of women are living with overweight but not obesity.
- 33 per cent of men and 30 per cent of women are living with obesity.
Overweight and obesity is distributed differently among men and women, as shown in the BMI calculator.
The proportion of adults living with overweight or obesity generally increases with age. This is seen in both men and women:
- For men, the proportion increases from 52 per cent at 18–24 to 83 per cent at 45–54. It then plateaus until 65–74, and then decreases to 65 per cent at age 85 years and over.
- For women, the proportion increases from 40per cent at 18–24 to 73 per cent at 65–74. It then decreases to 61 per cent at age 85 years and over.
Obesity is also more common in older age groups – 18 per cent of men and 14per cent of women aged 18–24 year are living with obesity, compared with 42 per cent of men and 39 per cent of women aged 65–74.
