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
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Botswana, 1980–2024
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.
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 3.2% | — |
| 1981 | 3.3% | +2.7% |
| 1982 | 3.4% | +3.0% |
| 1983 | 3.5% | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 3.6% | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 3.8% | +3.5% |
| 1986 | 3.9% | +3.7% |
| 1987 | 4.1% | +3.8% |
| 1988 | 4.2% | +3.8% |
| 1989 | 4.4% | +3.7% |
| 1990 | 4.5% | +3.8% |
| 1991 | 4.7% | +3.9% |
| 1992 | 4.9% | +4.0% |
| 1993 | 5.1% | +4.1% |
| 1994 | 5.3% | +4.1% |
| 1995 | 5.5% | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 5.7% | +4.3% |
| 1997 | 6.0% | +4.4% |
| 1998 | 6.3% | +4.6% |
| 1999 | 6.6% | +4.8% |
| 2000 | 6.9% | +4.9% |
| 2001 | 7.2% | +4.9% |
| 2002 | 7.6% | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 8.0% | +4.8% |
| 2004 | 8.3% | +4.8% |
| 2005 | 8.7% | +4.8% |
| 2006 | 9.1% | +4.8% |
| 2007 | 9.6% | +4.7% |
| 2008 | 10.0% | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 10.4% | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 10.8% | +3.9% |
| 2011 | 11.2% | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 11.6% | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 12.0% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 12.4% | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 12.8% | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 13.2% | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 13.6% | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 14.0% | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 14.4% | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 14.8% | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 15.2% | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 15.7% | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 16.1% | +3.1% |
| 2024 | 16.6% | +3.0% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 16.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 29.8%, 56% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 16.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.0%, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More health data for Botswana
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.75 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.2265 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,150 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 281 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.6484 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0579 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9109 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
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
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.