Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Kuwait

Kuwait: Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese was 46.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
46.5%
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
13th
of 199 countries
All-time high
46.5%
in 2024
All-time low
22.1%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Kuwait, 1980–2024

010203040501980200220241980: 22.1 %1981: 22.6 %1982: 23.1 %1983: 23.7 %1984: 24.3 %1985: 24.9 %1986: 25.5 %1987: 26.2 %1988: 26.9 %1989: 27.6 %1990: 28.4 %1991: 29.3 %1992: 30.1 %1993: 30.8 %1994: 31.2 %1995: 31.7 %1996: 32.7 %1997: 33.8 %1998: 34.8 %1999: 35.8 %2000: 36.8 %2001: 37.6 %2002: 38.3 %2003: 39 %2004: 39.6 %2005: 40.2 %2006: 40.8 %2007: 41.4 %2008: 41.9 %2009: 42.2 %2010: 42.5 %2011: 42.8 %2012: 43 %2013: 43.3 %2014: 43.6 %2015: 43.9 %2016: 44.2 %2017: 44.6 %2018: 44.9 %2019: 45.2 %2020: 45.5 %2021: 45.8 %2022: 45.9 %2023: 46.2 %2024: 46.5 %

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Kuwait recorded 46.5% for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 6.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Kuwait peaked at 46.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 22.1%, in 1980.

Kuwait ranks 13th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 24.7% 22.1% 27.6% 10
1990s 31.9% 28.4% 35.8% 10
2000s 39.8% 36.8% 42.2% 10
2010s 43.8% 42.5% 45.2% 10
2020s 46.0% 45.5% 46.5% 5

Countries ranked near Kuwait

  1. 10 Bahamas 49.8% compare
  2. 11 Palau 48.3% compare
  3. 12 French Polynesia 46.6% compare
  4. 14 Qatar 45.3% compare
  5. 15 Brunei 44.9% compare
  6. 16 United Arab Emirates 44.2% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More health data for Kuwait

All data for Kuwait →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Kuwait?
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Kuwait was 46.5% 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 Kuwait?
The highest recorded value was 46.5% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Kuwait?
The lowest recorded value was 22.1% in 1980.
How does Kuwait rank for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese?
Kuwait ranks 13th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Kuwait?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Kuwait 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

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.