Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese was 15.1% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 15.1% for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.6% on the previous year and up 46.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 15.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 1980.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 149th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 2.6% | — |
| 1981 | 2.7% | +2.0% |
| 1982 | 2.7% | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 2.8% | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 2.9% | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 2.9% | +2.9% |
| 1986 | 3.0% | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 3.1% | +3.4% |
| 1988 | 3.3% | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 3.4% | +3.8% |
| 1990 | 3.5% | +3.9% |
| 1991 | 3.6% | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 3.8% | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 4.0% | +4.2% |
| 1994 | 4.1% | +4.2% |
| 1995 | 4.3% | +4.4% |
| 1996 | 4.5% | +4.7% |
| 1997 | 4.7% | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 5.0% | +4.8% |
| 1999 | 5.2% | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 5.5% | +5.1% |
| 2001 | 5.7% | +5.2% |
| 2002 | 6.1% | +5.3% |
| 2003 | 6.4% | +5.2% |
| 2004 | 6.7% | +5.2% |
| 2005 | 7.0% | +5.1% |
| 2006 | 7.4% | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 7.7% | +4.9% |
| 2008 | 8.1% | +4.7% |
| 2009 | 8.5% | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 8.8% | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 9.2% | +4.0% |
| 2012 | 9.5% | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 9.9% | +4.0% |
| 2014 | 10.3% | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 10.7% | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 11.2% | +4.1% |
| 2017 | 11.6% | +4.1% |
| 2018 | 12.1% | +4.0% |
| 2019 | 12.6% | +4.0% |
| 2020 | 13.1% | +3.9% |
| 2021 | 13.6% | +3.8% |
| 2022 | 14.1% | +3.7% |
| 2023 | 14.6% | +3.7% |
| 2024 | 15.1% | +3.6% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 15.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 9.8%, 1.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo'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 | 2.9% | 2.6% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.3% | 3.5% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.9% | 5.5% | 8.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.6% | 8.8% | 12.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.1% | 13.1% | 15.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 146 Ukraine 16.0% compare
- 147 Cote d'Ivoire 15.9% compare
- 148 Czechia 15.9% compare
- 150 Cameroon 15.1% compare
- 151 Central African Republic 14.6% compare
- 152 Equatorial Guinea 14.6% compare
More health data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.56 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.03 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 821.4 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 133,650 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 390 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 2.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0895 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 2.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Democratic Republic of Congo 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 1980.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 149th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.