Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Suriname
Suriname: Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese was 35.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Suriname, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Suriname recorded 35.1% for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 23.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Suriname peaked at 35.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.5%, in 1980.
Suriname ranks 48th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 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 Suriname, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 9.5% | — |
| 1981 | 9.8% | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 10.1% | +3.1% |
| 1983 | 10.4% | +3.3% |
| 1984 | 10.7% | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 11.1% | +3.5% |
| 1986 | 11.5% | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 11.9% | +3.7% |
| 1988 | 12.4% | +3.7% |
| 1989 | 12.9% | +3.7% |
| 1990 | 13.3% | +3.8% |
| 1991 | 13.9% | +3.9% |
| 1992 | 14.4% | +4.0% |
| 1993 | 15.0% | +4.0% |
| 1994 | 15.6% | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 16.2% | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 16.8% | +3.7% |
| 1997 | 17.4% | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 18.0% | +3.3% |
| 1999 | 18.6% | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 19.2% | +3.2% |
| 2001 | 19.8% | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 20.4% | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 21.1% | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 21.7% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 22.4% | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 23.1% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 23.8% | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 24.5% | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 25.2% | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 25.9% | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 26.5% | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 27.2% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 27.8% | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 28.5% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 29.1% | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 29.8% | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 30.4% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 31.1% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 31.8% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 32.5% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 33.1% | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 33.8% | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 34.5% | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 35.1% | +1.9% |
Suriname compared with similar countries
- Suriname's 35.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 29.8%, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Suriname's 35.1% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 36.7%, 96% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.0% | 9.5% | 12.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.9% | 13.3% | 18.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.1% | 19.2% | 25.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.8% | 25.9% | 31.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.8% | 32.5% | 35.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Suriname
- 45 Dominica 36.3% compare
- 46 Singapore 36.2% compare
- 47 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 35.9% compare
- 49 Costa Rica 35.1% compare
- 50 South Korea 34.5% compare
- 51 Malaysia 34.5% compare
More health data for Suriname
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6063 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,195 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 22 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.0344 % 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 0.0409 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.0221 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0425 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Suriname?
- Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Suriname was 35.1% 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 Suriname?
- The highest recorded value was 35.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Suriname?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.5% in 1980.
- How does Suriname rank for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese?
- Suriname ranks 48th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Suriname?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Suriname 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.