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Obesity rate among adults
Year Value Units
1999 10.7 Percentage
2003 11.7 Percentage
2005 12.5 Percentage
2009 13.3 Percentage
2013 14.1 Percentage
2017 14.789 Percentage
2021 15.431 Percentage
2000 Percentage
2001 Percentage
2002 Percentage
2004 Percentage
2006 Percentage
2007 Percentage
2008 Percentage
2010 Percentage
2011 Percentage
2012 Percentage
2014 Percentage
2015 Percentage
2016 Percentage
2018 Percentage
2019 Percentage
2020 Percentage

Data source: Federal Statistical Office

Geographical Area: Germany

This table includes additional information to the above visualized indicators, i.e. a short definition of this indicator and a description of the politically determined target values as well as explaining the political intention behind selecting this indicator.

Definition (Text from the Indicator Report 2022 - State 31.10.2022)

The indicator shows the proportion of adults (aged 18 years and older) suffering from obesity in the total adult population.
Target and intention (Text from the Indicator Report 2022 - State 31.10.2022)

Excess weight plays a crucial role in the emergence of diseases of civilisation, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and joint injuries. Besides its consequences to health, excess weight is a burden on the national economy and has a negative impact on social life. Consequently, the proportion of the population with obesity in Germany should not increase any further.
Definition

The indicator represents the proportion of adults (aged 18 and over) with obesity among all people in the same age group (in per cent). According to the classification of the World Health Organisation (WHO), people are considered obese if their body mass index (BMI), which is calculated from the ratio of body weight to the square of height, is greater than or equal to 30.
Intention

Obesity plays a major role in the development of diseases of civilisation such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and joint damage. In addition to the health consequences, obesity also has a negative economic and social impact.
Target

Increase to be permanently halted
Type of target

Target direction
Implemen­tation in weather symbol calculation

The proportion of adults with obesity should fall or remain constant.


Based on the target formulation, the politically defined target of indicator 3.1.f was not achieved in the last year 2021, nor on average over the last six years, so the indicator for 2021 is rated as “thunderstorm”.
Assessment

Weathersymbol: Thuder strom
Data state

15.01.2025

Text from the Indicator Report 2022 

Obesity is determined with the help of the Body Mass Index (BMI), which is calculated by dividing the body weight in kilograms by the square of an individual’s height in metres. The BMI is a benchmark that does not take account of the physique, age- and gender-specific differences as well as the individual body mass composition. People with a BMI of 25 and above are classified as “overweight” according to the WHO and those with a BMI of 30 as “obese”.

The data used for the indicator are based on the microcensus of the Federal Statistical Office. The sample survey is conducted among 1 % of the total population and is the largest household survey in Germany and Europe. The responses to the health questions, which are generally asked every four years, are voluntary. Consequently, the indicator is based on the proportion of the population with a BMI of 30 and higher that also answered the microcensus questions concerning body weight and body size. In the microcensus, self-assessment questions are prone to underestimation of own body weight and overestimation of own body height. Hence, the calculated BMI based on self-assessment is below the BMI based on measurements.

The corresponding data were standardised relative to the European population of 1990 to allow data from different years and regions to be compared without distortions due to different age structures. Since the questions on health in the microcensus are not asked annually, the interim years in the chart were interpolated.

In 2021, 15.4 % of the population in Germany over the age of 18 were obese. Here, the share of obese men (17.3 %) was higher than the share of obese women (13.4 %). Before, in 1999, the share of obese persons was only 10.7 % of the population. At that time, the proportion of women (10.2 %) affected by obesity was also slightly lower than that of men (11.1 %). Thus, the obesity rate among adults has increased and is developing contrary to the goal envisioned by the German strategy for sustainable development.

Another 33.7 % of the population aged 18 and over had a BMI of 25 to under 30 in 2021. In total, 49.1 % were considered to be overweight (BMI 25 and over). The proportion of women (38.8 %) was significantly smaller than that of men (58.7 %).

The proportion of adults suffering from obesity increases with age, and the trend reverses only among people at a very advanced age. In 2021, 5.3 % of 20 to under 25-year-old women were obese. At the age of 30 to under 35, 12.5 % of the women were obese. The highest proportion of obese women (19.9 %) was found in the age group between 70 and under 75 years of age. The rate of obesity among men was higher among those under 75 than among women of the same age and reached the highest proportions in the age groups 60 to under 65 (23.6 %) and 45 to under 50 (23.5 %). Above 75 years of age, the proportion of obese women is equal to the proportion of obese man (16.2 %).