Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Eritrea
Eritrea: Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese was 4.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Eritrea, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Eritrea is 4.9%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 4.8% on the previous year and up 50.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Eritrea peaked at 4.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 1981.
That places Eritrea 197th 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 Eritrea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1.8% | — |
| 1981 | 1.8% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 1.8% | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 1.8% | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 1.8% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 1.8% | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 1.8% | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 1.8% | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 1.9% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 1.9% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 1.9% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 1.9% | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 2.0% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 2.0% | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 2.1% | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 2.1% | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 2.1% | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 2.2% | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 2.2% | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 2.3% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 2.3% | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 2.4% | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 2.4% | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 2.5% | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 2.5% | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 2.7% | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 2.7% | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 2.8% | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 2.8% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 2.9% | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 3.0% | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 3.0% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 3.1% | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 3.2% | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 3.4% | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 3.5% | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 3.6% | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 3.8% | +4.1% |
| 2019 | 3.9% | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 4.1% | +4.3% |
| 2021 | 4.3% | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 4.5% | +4.5% |
| 2023 | 4.7% | +4.6% |
| 2024 | 4.9% | +4.8% |
Eritrea compared with similar countries
- Eritrea's 4.9% is below the median for low income countries, which is 9.8%, 50% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Eritrea's 4.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.0%, 41% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.6% | 2.3% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.3% | 2.9% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.5% | 4.1% | 4.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Eritrea
More health data for Eritrea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.62 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.2 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 821.1 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 425 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.72 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2011)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0652 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2011)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Eritrea?
- Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Eritrea was 4.9% 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 Eritrea?
- The highest recorded value was 4.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Eritrea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 1981.
- How does Eritrea rank for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese?
- Eritrea ranks 197th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Eritrea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 50.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Eritrea 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.