Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Nigeria
Nigeria: Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese was 8.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Nigeria, 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 Nigeria is 8.9%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.2% on the previous year and up 23.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Nigeria peaked at 8.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 1980.
That places Nigeria 187th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom 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 Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 2.4% | — |
| 1981 | 2.4% | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 2.5% | +2.3% |
| 1983 | 2.5% | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 2.6% | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 2.7% | +2.9% |
| 1986 | 2.8% | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 2.8% | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 2.9% | +3.3% |
| 1989 | 3.0% | +3.4% |
| 1990 | 3.2% | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 3.3% | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 3.4% | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 3.5% | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 3.7% | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 3.8% | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 4.0% | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 4.2% | +4.3% |
| 1998 | 4.3% | +4.4% |
| 1999 | 4.5% | +4.4% |
| 2000 | 4.7% | +4.4% |
| 2001 | 4.9% | +4.4% |
| 2002 | 5.2% | +4.4% |
| 2003 | 5.4% | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 5.6% | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 5.8% | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 6.0% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 6.2% | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 6.4% | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 6.6% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 6.7% | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 6.8% | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 7.0% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 7.1% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 7.2% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 7.4% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 7.5% | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 7.7% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 7.9% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 8.0% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 8.2% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 8.4% | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 8.6% | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 8.8% | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 8.9% | +2.2% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 8.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.1%, 63% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 8.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.0%, 74% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.7% | 2.4% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.8% | 3.2% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.7% | 4.7% | 6.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.3% | 6.7% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.6% | 8.2% | 8.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More health data for Nigeria
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8137 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,301 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 257,921 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 14 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0711 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Nigeria?
- Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Nigeria was 8.9% 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 8.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 1980.
- How does Nigeria rank for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese?
- Nigeria ranks 187th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.