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Which Australian state/territory has the fattest 18-24 year olds? Obesity and being overweight is a serious health problem in Australia, which is classified as one of the fattest nations in the developed world. The phenomenon has been described as an 'epidemic' because of how quickly Australian waistlines have expanded and thereby increased the chance and frequency of weight-related illnesses, such as heart disease and diabetes. Having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30.00 and above is considered obese by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
This FACT indicates the proportion of people who have a BMI of 30.00 and over, and are thus classified as obese. The state with the highest proportion of 18-24 year olds who are classified as obese is the Northern Territory, with 27.7 percent of the population, 5.1 percent higher than Queensland, which came second highest. However, it is worth noting that estimates for the Northern Territory have a margin of error >10 percentage points, and should be considered with caution.