Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Maldives
Maldives: Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese was 32.0% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Maldives, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Maldives recorded 32.0% for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 64.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Maldives peaked at 32.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.8%, in 1980.
Maldives ranks 64th 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 Maldives, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 2.8% | — |
| 1981 | 2.9% | +4.3% |
| 1982 | 3.1% | +4.4% |
| 1983 | 3.2% | +4.6% |
| 1984 | 3.4% | +4.9% |
| 1985 | 3.5% | +5.3% |
| 1986 | 3.8% | +5.8% |
| 1987 | 4.0% | +6.0% |
| 1988 | 4.2% | +6.1% |
| 1989 | 4.5% | +6.3% |
| 1990 | 4.8% | +6.4% |
| 1991 | 5.1% | +6.4% |
| 1992 | 5.4% | +6.4% |
| 1993 | 5.7% | +6.3% |
| 1994 | 6.1% | +6.3% |
| 1995 | 6.5% | +6.1% |
| 1996 | 6.9% | +6.1% |
| 1997 | 7.3% | +6.0% |
| 1998 | 7.7% | +5.9% |
| 1999 | 8.2% | +5.9% |
| 2000 | 8.7% | +5.9% |
| 2001 | 9.2% | +5.9% |
| 2002 | 9.7% | +6.0% |
| 2003 | 10.3% | +6.0% |
| 2004 | 10.9% | +6.0% |
| 2005 | 11.6% | +5.9% |
| 2006 | 12.2% | +5.7% |
| 2007 | 12.9% | +5.5% |
| 2008 | 13.6% | +5.5% |
| 2009 | 14.4% | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 15.3% | +6.0% |
| 2011 | 16.2% | +6.1% |
| 2012 | 17.2% | +6.3% |
| 2013 | 18.3% | +6.4% |
| 2014 | 19.5% | +6.4% |
| 2015 | 20.6% | +6.0% |
| 2016 | 21.8% | +5.8% |
| 2017 | 23.1% | +5.8% |
| 2018 | 24.4% | +5.7% |
| 2019 | 25.8% | +5.5% |
| 2020 | 27.1% | +5.2% |
| 2021 | 28.4% | +4.8% |
| 2022 | 29.7% | +4.4% |
| 2023 | 30.9% | +4.0% |
| 2024 | 32.0% | +3.6% |
Maldives compared with similar countries
- Maldives's 32.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 29.8%, 1.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Maldives's 32.0% is above the median for South Asia, which is 11.9%, 2.7× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.5% | 2.8% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.4% | 4.8% | 8.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.4% | 8.7% | 14.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.2% | 15.3% | 25.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.6% | 27.1% | 32.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
More health data for Maldives
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -2.69 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,560 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 5 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.2 % 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 0.0264 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -3.8 % 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 Maldives?
- Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Maldives was 32.0% 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 Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 32.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.8% in 1980.
- How does Maldives rank for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese?
- Maldives ranks 64th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is up 64.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Maldives 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.