Waist circumference and BMI

Waist circumference is a commonly used measure to assess the risk of developing obesity-related chronic diseases. It is a good indicator of total body fat and an alternate predictor to Body Mass Index (BMI) for certain chronic conditions (such as cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes)[1].

A higher waist measurement is associated with an increased risk of disease[1]. While many factors influence weight, overweight and obesity occur mainly because of an imbalance between energy intake from the diet and energy expenditure (through physical activities and bodily functions). Genetic and environmental factors also play a role[2]. The threshold may also be less accurate in some situations such as pregnancy and medical conditions where there is abdominal swelling[3]. Caution should be used when interpreting measured waist circumference risk categories for certain minority ethnic groups. The risk categories used for this analysis are presented below[4]:

In 2022, the average waist measurement for adults was 95.1cm (99.3cm for males and 91.0cm for females). More than two in three (67.9%) adults had measured waist circumference that put them at an increased risk of disease. This has increased from six in ten (62.9%) adults in 2011–12.

Females were more likely than males to have a measured waist circumference of increased risk of disease (72.1% compared to 63.5%). The proportion of adults with a measured waist circumference of increased risk increases with age. Older adults aged 65–74 years were more likely than any other age group to have a measured waist circumference of increased risk (84.8%).

In 2022, adults:

• Living in Outer Regional and Remote Australia were more likely to have a measured waist circumference of increased risk than those in Major Cities (73.7% compared to 65.8%)
• Living in areas of most disadvantage were more likely to have a measured waist circumference of increased risk than those in areas of least disadvantage (68.6% compared to 64.4%)
• Born in Australia were more likely to have a measured waist circumference of increased risk than those born overseas (70.9% compared to 62.6%)
• Living in a group household were less likely to have a measured waist circumference of increased risk than those living alone (48.8% compared to 74.1%)
• Living with disability were more likely to have a measured waist circumference of increased risk than those without a disability (76.2% compared to 63.1%)
• Who have ever served in the Australian Defence Force were more likely to have a measured waist circumference of increased risk than those have never served in the Australian Defence Force (76.9% compared to 67.5%).

Being overweight or obese increases a person's risk of developing long-term health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes[1].

In 2022, almost two thirds (65.8%) of adults were overweight or obese. Of all adults:

• A small proportion (1.6%) were underweight
• Three in ten (31.6%) were within the healthy weight range
• One in three (34.0%) were overweight
• Three in ten (31.7%) were obese.

Over the last decade, the proportion of adults who were overweight or obese has increased from 62.8% in 2011–12 to 65.8% in 2022. This change was driven by the increase in the proportion of adults categorised as obese, which increased from 27.5% to 31.7% over the same period.

Males were more likely to be overweight or obese than females (71.2% and 60.5%). Four in ten (42.1%) young adults aged 18–24 years were overweight or obese in 2022 – this increased with age before peaking among those aged 65–74 years (75.1%).

In 2022, adults:

• Living in Outer Regional and Remote Australia were more likely to be overweight or obese than those in Major Cities (70.3% compared to 64.0%)
• Born in Australia were more likely to be overweight or obese than those who were born overseas (69.4% compared to 58.7%)
• Who lived in group households were less likely to be overweight or obese than those who lived in lone person households (51.8% compared to 69.8%)
• Living with disability were more likely to be overweight or obese than those without a disability (72.3% compared to 61.6%)
• Who have ever served in the Australian Defence Force more likely to be overweight or obese than those who have never served in the Australian Defence Force (85.1% compared to 64.9%).

In 2022, of children aged 5–17 years:

• Over a quarter (27.7%) were overweight or obese in 2022 
• One in five (19.5%) were overweight, 8.3% were obese and 7.6% were underweight 
• Over the last decade the proportion of children who weighed within the normal range has decreased from 69.1% in 2011–12 to 64.4% in 2022
• Boys and girls had similar rates of overweight and obesity (29.2% and 26.1%).

See the National Health Survey 2022 data downloads for the full suite of available data. Data relating to Waist circumference and BMI can be found in tables:

• TABLE 1 Summary health characteristics, 2011 to 2022
• TABLE 2 Summary health characteristics, by states and territories
• TABLE 5 Selected long-term health conditions, by health risk factors and health status
• TABLE 6 Health risk factors, by population characteristics
• TABLE 8 Body Mass Index, waist circumference, height and weight, by age and sex
• TABLE 17 Children’s Body Mass Index, waist circumference, height and weight, by age and sex.

1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, ‘Risk factors to health’, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/risk-factors/risk-factors-to-health/contents/overweight-and-obesity; accessed 15/11/2023.
2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare ’Risk factors to health, Causes of overweight and obesity’, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/risk-factors/risk-factors-to-health/contents/overweight-and-obesity/causes-of-overweight-and-obesity; accessed 15/11/2023.
3. Heart Foundation, ‘What is a health body weight?’, https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/Bundles/Your-heart/Healthy-Body-Weight; accessed 15/11/2023.
4. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, ‘Overweight and obesity’, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/overweight-obesity/overweight-and-obesity/contents/measuring-overweight-and-obesity; accessed 15/11/2023.

See National Health Survey 2022 media release for more information.