Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese was 26.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Marshall Islands, 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 Marshall Islands is 26.8%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Marshall Islands peaked at 26.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 17.9%, in 1980.
Marshall Islands ranks 99th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
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 Marshall Islands, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 17.9% | — |
| 1981 | 18.1% | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 18.3% | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 18.5% | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 18.7% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 18.9% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 19.2% | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 19.5% | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 19.8% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 20.1% | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 20.5% | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 20.8% | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 21.2% | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 21.5% | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 21.9% | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 22.2% | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 22.6% | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 23.0% | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 23.4% | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 23.8% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 24.2% | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 24.5% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 24.7% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 25.0% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 25.2% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 25.4% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 25.7% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 25.9% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 26.1% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 26.3% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 26.5% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 26.6% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 26.6% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 26.6% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 26.7% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 26.7% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 26.7% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 26.8% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 26.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 26.8% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 26.8% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 26.8% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 26.8% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 26.8% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 26.8% | -0.1% |
Marshall Islands compared with similar countries
- Marshall Islands's 26.8% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 29.8%, 90% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Marshall Islands's 26.8% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 29.5%, 91% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 18.9% | 17.9% | 20.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.1% | 20.5% | 23.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.3% | 24.2% | 26.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.7% | 26.5% | 26.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.8% | 26.8% | 26.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Marshall Islands
More health data for Marshall Islands
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 3.09 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,179 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 2 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -7.92 % 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 0.0494 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -8.43 % 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 Marshall Islands?
- Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Marshall Islands was 26.8% 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 Marshall Islands?
- The highest recorded value was 26.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Marshall Islands?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.9% in 1980.
- How does Marshall Islands rank for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese?
- Marshall Islands ranks 99th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Marshall Islands?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Marshall Islands 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.