How many people are overweight or obese in Canada?
In 2022, there were over 10 million people in Canada who were overweight and 8.7 million who were obese. That means that almost 35 percent of the population was overweight, and 30 percent was obese. Men in Canada are much more likely than women to be overweight, however, rates of obesity are similar for both men and women. Those aged 50 to 64 years have the highest rates of obesity among all age groups in Canada, while younger people aged 18 to 34 years report the lowest rates of being overweight and obese. Although genetic factors can influence body weight and older adults can be more susceptible to obesity, obesity is most often simply caused by eating too many calories and not exercising enough.Regional differences
Even though obesity is an increasing problem across Canada, there are significant regional differences in how obese the population is. The Canadian provinces with the highest prevalence rates of obesity are New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador, while Quebec and British Columbia have the lowest rates. In 2022, around 43 percent of the population of New Brunswick was thought to be obese, compared to 25.5 percent of people in British Columbia. New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador are also the provinces with the highest percentage of adolescents who are overweight or obese. In total, around 30 percent of adolescents in Canada are estimated to be overweight or obese.
