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. β—† Volatile

Latest (2024)
15.1%
Change on year
up 3.6%
World rank
149th
of 199 countries
All-time high
15.1%
in 2024
All-time low
2.6%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1980–2024

510151980200220241980: 2.6 %1981: 2.7 %1982: 2.7 %1983: 2.8 %1984: 2.9 %1985: 2.9 %1986: 3 %1987: 3.1 %1988: 3.3 %1989: 3.4 %1990: 3.5 %1991: 3.6 %1992: 3.8 %1993: 4 %1994: 4.1 %1995: 4.3 %1996: 4.5 %1997: 4.7 %1998: 5 %1999: 5.2 %2000: 5.5 %2001: 5.7 %2002: 6.1 %2003: 6.4 %2004: 6.7 %2005: 7 %2006: 7.4 %2007: 7.7 %2008: 8.1 %2009: 8.5 %2010: 8.8 %2011: 9.2 %2012: 9.5 %2013: 9.9 %2014: 10.3 %2015: 10.7 %2016: 11.2 %2017: 11.6 %2018: 12.1 %2019: 12.6 %2020: 13.1 %2021: 13.6 %2022: 14.1 %2023: 14.6 %2024: 15.1 %

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 146 Ukraine 16.0% compare
  2. 147 Cote d'Ivoire 15.9% compare
  3. 148 Czechia 15.9% compare
  4. 150 Cameroon 15.1% compare
  5. 151 Central African Republic 14.6% compare
  6. 152 Equatorial Guinea 14.6% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places β†’

More health data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo β†’

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.

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CSV Β· JSON β€” 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.