Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Bhutan

Bhutan: Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese was 17.9% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
17.9%
Change on year
up 3.9%
World rank
134th
of 199 countries
All-time high
17.9%
in 2024
All-time low
2.1%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Bhutan, 1980–2024

051015201980200220241980: 2.1 %1981: 2.2 %1982: 2.3 %1983: 2.4 %1984: 2.5 %1985: 2.6 %1986: 2.7 %1987: 2.9 %1988: 3 %1989: 3.2 %1990: 3.3 %1991: 3.5 %1992: 3.7 %1993: 3.9 %1994: 4.1 %1995: 4.4 %1996: 4.6 %1997: 4.9 %1998: 5.2 %1999: 5.5 %2000: 5.8 %2001: 6.2 %2002: 6.6 %2003: 7 %2004: 7.4 %2005: 7.9 %2006: 8.3 %2007: 8.7 %2008: 9.2 %2009: 9.6 %2010: 10 %2011: 10.5 %2012: 11 %2013: 11.4 %2014: 12 %2015: 12.5 %2016: 13 %2017: 13.6 %2018: 14.2 %2019: 14.8 %2020: 15.4 %2021: 16 %2022: 16.6 %2023: 17.3 %2024: 17.9 %

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2024, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Bhutan stood at 17.9%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

The figure is up 3.9% on the previous year and up 50.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Bhutan peaked at 17.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 1980.

That places Bhutan 134th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 2.6% 2.1% 3.2% 10
1990s 4.3% 3.3% 5.5% 10
2000s 7.7% 5.8% 9.6% 10
2010s 12.3% 10.0% 14.8% 10
2020s 16.6% 15.4% 17.9% 5

Countries ranked near Bhutan

  1. 131 Eswatini 18.6% compare
  2. 132 Yemen 18.5% compare
  3. 133 Haiti 18.4% compare
  4. 135 Laos 17.5% compare
  5. 136 Japan 17.5% compare
  6. 137 Netherlands 17.5% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More health data for Bhutan

All data for Bhutan →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Bhutan?
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Bhutan was 17.9% in 2024, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Bhutan?
The highest recorded value was 17.9% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Bhutan?
The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 1980.
How does Bhutan rank for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese?
Bhutan ranks 134th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Bhutan?
Over the last ten years it is up 50.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Bhutan data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese
Unit
%
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 8,955 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed

Share of children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years old that are defined as either overweight or obese. This means their weight-for-height is more than one standard deviations from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards.