Overweight and obesity are common among children and young people
In 2023, the prevalence of overweight (including obesity and severe obesity) was 26% among boys and 17% among girls aged 2–16 years. The prevalence of obesity (including severe obesity) was 8% among boys, and the prevalence of severe obesity was 1.7%. The corresponding figures among girls were 3% and 0.6%.
The data are based on the statistics on overweight and obesity among children and young people. In these statistics, the criteria for overweight and obesity are based on the child’s body mass index corresponding to adult BMI (ISO-BMI). The cut-off for overweight is an ISO-BMI of 25 kg/m² or higher, for obesity 30 kg/m² or higher, and for severe obesity 35 kg/m² or higher.
The prevalence of overweight and obesity has levelled off
The slight decline in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and young people aged 2–16 years that began in 2021 appears to be continuing.
In 2023, the prevalence of overweight was 0.9 percentage points lower among boys and 0.4 percentage points lower among girls than in 2022. Correspondingly, the prevalence of obesity was 0.5 percentage points lower among boys and 0.1 percentage points lower among girls than in 2022. Despite this levelling off, the prevalence figures for overweight and obesity among children and young people remain high.
Overweight is more common among school-aged children and boys than among children under school age and girls
Overweight and obesity were more common among school-aged children than among children under school age, and more common among boys than girls in all age groups.
In 2023, the prevalence of overweight among children under school age (aged 2–6 years) was 24% among boys and 15% among girls. Among primary school-aged children (aged 7–12 years), the corresponding figures were 26% for boys and 18% for girls. Among lower secondary school-aged young people (aged 13–16 years), the prevalence of overweight was 28% for boys and 19% for girls.
Obesity was twice as common among boys as among girls. Among children under school age, the prevalence of obesity was 6% for boys and 3% for girls. Correspondingly, the prevalence of obesity among primary school-aged children was 8% for boys and 4% for girls, and among lower secondary school-aged young people 9% for boys and 4% for girls.
Large regional differences in the prevalence of overweight and obesity
Regional differences in the prevalence of overweight, obesity and severe obesity among children and young people are substantial.
In 2023, overweight and obesity were most common among both boys and girls in the Satakunta wellbeing services county and least common in Helsinki. Severe obesity was most common among boys in Kainuu (2.9%) and among girls in the Satakunta wellbeing services county (1.0%), and least common among boys in Helsinki (1.0%) and among girls in West Uusimaa and Helsinki (0.4%).
About the data in more detail
Read the entire statistical report (Julkari) (in Finnish and Swedish)
Prevalence of overweight and obesity of children and adolescents (interactive map)
Prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents (cube)
Prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents (accessible summary)
Overweight and obesity in 2–16-year-old boys and girls (summary)
Prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents (Sotkanet)
Background information
Data description (Data resources catalogue) (in Finnish)
Source
Overweight and obesity among children and young people 2023. Statistical report 52/2024, 3.12.2024 (in Finnish and Swedish)
Description of the statistics
The statistics include information on the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and young people, as well as on the coverage of height and weight data.
The data are based on height and weight measurements recorded at health examinations in child health clinics and school health care. In many patient information systems, the data are transferred in near real time to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare’s Register of Primary Health Care Visits (Avohilmo), from which they are extracted for these statistics.
After validation checks and any necessary corrections, the height and weight data are used to calculate ISO-BMI for statistical purposes. ISO-BMI is a measure corresponding to adult body mass index (BMI). It describes the BMI a child would have as an adult if the child’s BMI remained at the same level compared with peers of the same sex. In calculating ISO-BMI, decimal age and sex are taken into account in addition to height and weight.
For the years 2014–2018 and 2020–2023, the statistics are based solely on height and weight data obtained from Avohilmo. The 2019 dataset includes, in addition to data from Avohilmo, height and weight data obtained through a separate data extraction (n = 212,336) from patient information systems in which growth data cannot be transferred to Avohilmo through a single entry.
Between 2014 and 2023, the coverage of height and weight data improved by 32 percentage points among children under school age (34.9 → 66.5%), by 25 percentage points among primary school-aged children (29.8 → 54.5%), and by 23 percentage points among lower secondary school-aged young people (28.8 → 51.5%).
The statistics were first published in 2019.
Update schedule
The statistics are updated once a year in the autumn.
Contact details
Maaret Vuorenmaa (statistics)
Senior Researcher
tel. 029 524 7008
[email protected]
Päivi Mäki (overweight in children and adolescents)
Chief Specialist
tel. 029 524 8612
[email protected]