Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Uruguay

Uruguay: Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese was 40.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
40.3%
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
26th
of 199 countries
All-time high
40.3%
in 2024
All-time low
12.4%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Uruguay, 1980–2024

102030401980200220241980: 12.4 %1981: 12.9 %1982: 13.4 %1983: 13.9 %1984: 14.4 %1985: 15 %1986: 15.5 %1987: 16.1 %1988: 16.7 %1989: 17.3 %1990: 17.9 %1991: 18.6 %1992: 19.2 %1993: 19.9 %1994: 20.6 %1995: 21.3 %1996: 22 %1997: 22.8 %1998: 23.5 %1999: 24.2 %2000: 24.9 %2001: 25.6 %2002: 26.2 %2003: 26.8 %2004: 27.5 %2005: 28 %2006: 28.6 %2007: 29.2 %2008: 29.8 %2009: 30.4 %2010: 30.9 %2011: 31.5 %2012: 32.1 %2013: 32.7 %2014: 33.3 %2015: 34 %2016: 34.6 %2017: 35.3 %2018: 36.1 %2019: 36.8 %2020: 37.5 %2021: 38.2 %2022: 38.9 %2023: 39.6 %2024: 40.3 %

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 Uruguay is 40.3%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and up 20.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Uruguay peaked at 40.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 12.4%, in 1980.

Uruguay ranks 26th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 14.8% 12.4% 17.3% 10
1990s 21.0% 17.9% 24.2% 10
2000s 27.7% 24.9% 30.4% 10
2010s 33.7% 30.9% 36.8% 10
2020s 38.9% 37.5% 40.3% 5

Countries ranked near Uruguay

  1. 23 Peru 40.9% compare
  2. 24 Micronesia (country) 40.9% compare
  3. 25 Kiribati 40.9% compare
  4. 27 New Zealand 39.8% compare
  5. 28 Saudi Arabia 39.7% compare
  6. 29 Mexico 39.5% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More health data for Uruguay

All data for Uruguay →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Uruguay?
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Uruguay was 40.3% 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 Uruguay?
The highest recorded value was 40.3% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Uruguay?
The lowest recorded value was 12.4% in 1980.
How does Uruguay rank for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese?
Uruguay ranks 26th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Uruguay?
Over the last ten years it is up 20.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Uruguay 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

Indicator
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese
Unit
%
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 8,955 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed

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.