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

Botswana: Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese was 16.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
16.6%
Change on year
up 3.0%
World rank
142nd
of 199 countries
All-time high
16.6%
in 2024
All-time low
3.2%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

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

510151980200220241980: 3.2 %1981: 3.3 %1982: 3.4 %1983: 3.5 %1984: 3.6 %1985: 3.8 %1986: 3.9 %1987: 4.1 %1988: 4.2 %1989: 4.4 %1990: 4.5 %1991: 4.7 %1992: 4.9 %1993: 5.1 %1994: 5.3 %1995: 5.5 %1996: 5.7 %1997: 6 %1998: 6.3 %1999: 6.6 %2000: 6.9 %2001: 7.2 %2002: 7.6 %2003: 8 %2004: 8.3 %2005: 8.7 %2006: 9.1 %2007: 9.6 %2008: 10 %2009: 10.4 %2010: 10.8 %2011: 11.2 %2012: 11.6 %2013: 12 %2014: 12.4 %2015: 12.8 %2016: 13.2 %2017: 13.6 %2018: 14 %2019: 14.4 %2020: 14.8 %2021: 15.2 %2022: 15.7 %2023: 16.1 %2024: 16.6 %

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 Botswana stood at 16.6%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 34.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Botswana peaked at 16.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 3.2%, in 1980.

That places Botswana 142nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 3.7% 3.2% 4.4% 10
1990s 5.5% 4.5% 6.6% 10
2000s 8.6% 6.9% 10.4% 10
2010s 12.6% 10.8% 14.4% 10
2020s 15.7% 14.8% 16.6% 5

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 139 Morocco 17.3% compare
  2. 140 Gabon 17.0% compare
  3. 141 Myanmar 16.8% compare
  4. 143 Turkmenistan 16.4% compare
  5. 144 Ghana 16.3% compare
  6. 145 France 16.2% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More health data for Botswana

All data for Botswana →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Botswana?
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Botswana was 16.6% 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 Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 16.6% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 3.2% in 1980.
How does Botswana rank for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese?
Botswana ranks 142nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Botswana?
Over the last ten years it is up 34.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Botswana 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.