Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Kiribati
Kiribati: Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese was 40.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Kiribati, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Kiribati recorded 40.9% 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 0.6% on the previous year and up 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Kiribati peaked at 40.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 24.6%, in 1980.
That places Kiribati 25th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 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 Kiribati, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 24.6% | — |
| 1981 | 25.0% | +1.8% |
| 1982 | 25.4% | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 25.9% | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 26.3% | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 26.7% | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 27.0% | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 27.4% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 27.8% | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 28.2% | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 28.7% | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 29.1% | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 29.6% | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 30.2% | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 30.7% | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 31.3% | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 31.9% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 32.4% | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 33.0% | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 33.6% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 34.2% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 34.7% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 35.2% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 35.7% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 36.2% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 36.6% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 37.0% | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 37.4% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 37.8% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 38.2% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 38.5% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 38.8% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 39.0% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 39.1% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 39.2% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 39.3% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 39.4% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 39.4% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 39.6% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 39.7% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 39.9% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 40.2% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 40.4% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 40.6% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 40.9% | +0.6% |
Kiribati compared with similar countries
- Kiribati's 40.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.1%, 2.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kiribati's 40.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 29.5%, 1.4× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 26.4% | 24.6% | 28.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 31.1% | 28.7% | 33.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 36.3% | 34.2% | 38.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.2% | 38.5% | 39.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.4% | 39.9% | 40.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kiribati
- 22 United States 41.5% compare
- 23 Peru 40.9% compare
- 24 Micronesia (country) 40.9% compare
- 26 Uruguay 40.3% compare
- 27 New Zealand 39.8% compare
- 28 Saudi Arabia 39.7% compare
More health data for Kiribati
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7209 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,076 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 34 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.3672 % 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 0.0576 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.3464 % 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 Kiribati?
- Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Kiribati was 40.9% 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 Kiribati?
- The highest recorded value was 40.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Kiribati?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.6% in 1980.
- How does Kiribati rank for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese?
- Kiribati ranks 25th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Kiribati?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kiribati 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.