Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Malta
Malta: Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese was 29.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Malta, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Malta stood at 29.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Malta peaked at 29.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 17.2%, in 1980.
That places Malta 78th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 19.3% | 17.2% | 21.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.8% | 21.8% | 26.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 28.1% | 26.4% | 29.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.2% | 29.1% | 29.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.6% | 29.6% | 29.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malta
More health data for Malta
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,737 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4 deaths (2100)
- Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 0 deaths (2026)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 deaths (2026)
- Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 3,217 (2025)
- Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 2,848 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 3,001 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 2,660 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 2,798 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 2,421 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Malta?
- Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Malta was 29.6% 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 Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 29.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.2% in 1980.
- How does Malta rank for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese?
- Malta ranks 78th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malta 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.