Obesity trends in Australian children
One in four Australian children were overweight or obese in 2017–18. The percentage of obese Australian children aged 7 to 15 years tripled between 1985 and 1995.
Key Evidence
16.7% of Australians aged 2 to 17 years are overweight and 8.2% are obese
20.2% of boys aged 16 to 17 years are overweight and 10.7% are obese
35.7% of Australians aged 2 to 17 years in outer regional and remote Australia are overweight or obese
Overweight has increased from 10.2% (1985) to 20.6% (2014) among Australians aged 7 to 15 years
Weight status
Children aged 2–17 years.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. 4364.0.55.001 - National Health Survey: First Results, 2017-18. 2018.
In 2017–18, one quarter (24.9%) of children aged 2 to 17 years were overweight or obese – 16.7% were overweight and 8.2% were obese. Rates of overweight and obesity varied by age group and gender.1
In 2014–15, there were higher rates of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents aged 2–17 years living in outer regional and remote areas, compared to those living in major cities.
Trends in overweight and obesity
Xu J, Hardy LL, Guo CZ, and Garnett SP. The trends and prevalence of obesity and morbid obesity among Australian school-aged children, 1985–2014. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2018; 54(8):907-912.
The percentage of overweight Australian children aged 7 to 15 years doubled between 1985 and 2014. The percentage of obese Australian children aged 7 to 15 years tripled between 1985 and 1995 from 1.6% to 4.7%, before plateauing between 1996 and 2014. The percentage of children who were morbidly obese increased from less than 1% in 1985 and 1995, to 2% in 2007 where it has remained stable.2