Obesity in Japan
Obesity in Japan is a major public health concern, but is also the lowest among high-income countries. Writer Johann Hari described Japan as "the land that doesn't need Ozempic" in 2024.[1]
Prevalence
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare published the following statistics in 2024 from the National Health and Nutrition Survey 2019.[2]
Note: Unlike many other areas, Japan defines obesity as having a BMI over 25, rather than over 30.
| Group | "low weight" (BMI <18.5) | "normal weight" | "obese" (BMI >25)** |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male, 15-19 | 16.3% | 78.3% | 5.4% |
| Male, 20-29 | 6.7% | 70.1% | 23.1% |
| Male, 30-39 | 5.1% | 65.5% | 29.4% |
| Male, 40-49 | 1.7% | 58.6% | 39.7% |
| Male, 50-59 | 2.4% | 58.4% | 39.2% |
| Male, 60-69 | 4.0% | 60.5% | 35.4% |
| Male, 70+ | 4.5% | 67.0% | 28.5% |
| Female, 15-19 | 21.0% | 76.5% | 2.5% |
| Female, 20-29 | 20.7% | 70.4% | 8.9% |
| Female, 30-39 | 16.4% | 68.7% | 15.0% |
| Female, 40-49 | 12.9% | 70.5% | 16.6% |
| Female, 50-59 | 10.6% | 68.7% | 20.7% |
| Female, 60-69 | 9.4% | 62.5% | 28.1% |
| Female, 70+ | 9.7% | 63.9% | 26.4% |
A 2025 study of over 8 million adults found that average BMI had increased from 2015 to 2020, especially in younger and middle aged adults.[3]
See also
References
- ^ Hari, Johann. "The Land That Doesn't Need Ozempic". TIME. Archived from the original on 2025-06-01. Retrieved 2025-12-26.
- ^ "Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: Handbook of Health and Welfare Statistics". www.mhlw.go.jp. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
- ^ Uemura, Naoki; Nishida, Yuki; Sasaki, Satoshi; Yamada, Yosuke; Anzai, Tatsuhiko; Takahashi, Kunihiko; Yamauchi, Keita; Katsukawa, Fuminori (18 December 2024). "BMI trajectory of 8,155,894 Japanese adults from exhaustive health checkup data: the contributions of age-related changes in height and weight". International Journal of Obesity. 49 (4): 742–745. doi:10.1038/s41366-024-01694-1. ISSN 1476-5497.