Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Cameroon
Cameroon: Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese was 15.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Cameroon, 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 Cameroon stood at 15.1%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.1% on the previous year and up 22.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Cameroon peaked at 15.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.3%, in 1980.
That places Cameroon 150th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
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 Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 4.3% | — |
| 1981 | 4.4% | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 4.5% | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 4.7% | +3.1% |
| 1984 | 4.8% | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 5.0% | +3.5% |
| 1986 | 5.2% | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 5.4% | +3.6% |
| 1988 | 5.6% | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 5.8% | +3.7% |
| 1990 | 6.0% | +3.8% |
| 1991 | 6.2% | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 6.4% | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 6.7% | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 7.0% | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 7.2% | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 7.5% | +3.9% |
| 1997 | 7.8% | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 8.1% | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 8.4% | +3.8% |
| 2000 | 8.7% | +3.7% |
| 2001 | 9.1% | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 9.4% | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 9.7% | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 10.0% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 10.3% | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 10.6% | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 10.8% | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 11.1% | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 11.3% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 11.5% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 11.7% | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 11.9% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 12.1% | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 12.3% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 12.5% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 12.8% | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 13.1% | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 13.3% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 13.6% | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 13.9% | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 14.2% | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 14.5% | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 14.8% | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 15.1% | +2.1% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 15.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.1%, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 15.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.0%, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.0% | 4.3% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.1% | 6.0% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.1% | 8.7% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.5% | 11.5% | 13.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.5% | 13.9% | 15.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
- 147 Cote d'Ivoire 15.9% compare
- 148 Czechia 15.9% compare
- 149 Democratic Republic of Congo 15.1% compare
- 151 Central African Republic 14.6% compare
- 152 Equatorial Guinea 14.6% compare
- 153 Philippines 14.6% compare
More health data for Cameroon
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.28 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7821 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 786.1 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 12,841 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 17 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.22 % 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 0.0746 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.21 % 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 Cameroon?
- Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Cameroon was 15.1% 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 Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 15.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.3% in 1980.
- How does Cameroon rank for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese?
- Cameroon ranks 150th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cameroon 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
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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.