Adult overweight and obesity by sex Canada 2021

In 2021, around 36 percent of adults in Canada were overweight and 29 percent were obese. Adult males in Canada are much more likely to be overweight than adult females, however, the share of females that are obese is only slightly lower than the share of males. This statistic shows the percentage of Canadian adults who were overweight or obese in 2021, by sex.

Percentage of Canadian adults who were overweight or obese in 2021, by sex

Characteristic	Overweight	Obese
Total	35.5%	29.2%
Males	40%	29.8%
Females	31.1%	28.7%

Loading statistic...

Download

Source

Show detailed source information?

Already a member?

Source

Use Ask Statista Research Service

Release date

August 2022

More information

Region

Canada

Survey time period

2021

Age group

18 years and older

Supplementary notes

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Health Canada guidelines, the index for body weight classification for the population aged 18 and older is: less than 18.50 (underweight); 18.50 to 24.99 (normal weight); 25.00 to 29.99 (overweight); 30.00 to 34.99 (obese, class I); 35.00 to 39.99 (obese, class II); 40.00 or greater (obese, class III). The population aged 12 to 17 is classified as "severely obese", "obese", or "overweight" according to age and sex specific cut-off points defined by the World Health Organization.

A systematic review of the literature concluded that the use of self-reported data among adults underestimates weight and overestimates height, resulting in lower estimates of obesity than those obtained from measured data. Using data from the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) subsample, where both measured and self-reported height and weight were collected, BMI correction equations have been developed. This table presents obesity estimates adjusted using these equations.

Citation formats