Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese was 12.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Sierra Leone, 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 Sierra Leone stood at 12.2%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Sierra Leone peaked at 12.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.2%, in 1980.
That places Sierra Leone 169th 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 Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 4.2% | — |
| 1981 | 4.3% | +3.0% |
| 1982 | 4.4% | +3.1% |
| 1983 | 4.6% | +3.3% |
| 1984 | 4.7% | +3.5% |
| 1985 | 4.9% | +3.6% |
| 1986 | 5.1% | +3.7% |
| 1987 | 5.3% | +3.8% |
| 1988 | 5.5% | +3.9% |
| 1989 | 5.7% | +3.9% |
| 1990 | 5.9% | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 6.1% | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 6.4% | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 6.6% | +4.1% |
| 1994 | 6.9% | +4.1% |
| 1995 | 7.2% | +4.0% |
| 1996 | 7.5% | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 7.8% | +4.0% |
| 1998 | 8.1% | +4.0% |
| 1999 | 8.4% | +3.9% |
| 2000 | 8.7% | +3.8% |
| 2001 | 9.0% | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 9.4% | +3.5% |
| 2003 | 9.7% | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 10.0% | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 10.2% | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 10.5% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 10.7% | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 10.9% | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 11.0% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 11.1% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 11.1% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 11.2% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 11.3% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 11.3% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 11.4% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 11.5% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 11.6% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 11.7% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 11.8% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 11.9% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 12.0% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 12.0% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 12.1% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 12.2% | +0.7% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 12.2% is above the median for low income countries, which is 9.8%, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 12.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.0%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.8% | 4.2% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.1% | 5.9% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.0% | 8.7% | 11.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.4% | 11.1% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.0% | 11.9% | 12.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 166 Sri Lanka 12.4% compare
- 167 Benin 12.3% compare
- 168 Uzbekistan 12.2% compare
- 170 South Sudan 11.9% compare
- 171 Tajikistan 11.8% compare
- 172 India 11.5% compare
More health data for Sierra Leone
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.34 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.773 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,199 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,209 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.6447 % 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 0.0663 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.6611 % 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 Sierra Leone?
- Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Sierra Leone was 12.2% 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 12.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.2% in 1980.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese?
- Sierra Leone ranks 169th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.