Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Yemen
Yemen: Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese was 18.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Yemen, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Yemen recorded 18.5% for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 27.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Yemen peaked at 18.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.9%, in 1985.
Yemen ranks 132nd 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 Yemen, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 10.0% | — |
| 1981 | 10.0% | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 9.9% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 9.9% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 9.9% | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 9.9% | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 9.9% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 9.9% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 9.9% | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 9.9% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 10.0% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 10.0% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 10.1% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 10.2% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 10.3% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 10.4% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 10.6% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 10.7% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 10.9% | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 11.1% | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 11.3% | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 11.5% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 11.7% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 11.9% | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 12.1% | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 12.3% | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 12.5% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 12.7% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 12.9% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 13.1% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 13.4% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 13.6% | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 13.9% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 14.2% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 14.6% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 14.9% | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 15.3% | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 15.7% | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 16.1% | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 16.5% | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 16.9% | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 17.3% | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 17.7% | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 18.1% | +2.3% |
| 2024 | 18.5% | +2.3% |
Yemen compared with similar countries
- Yemen's 18.5% is above the median for low income countries, which is 9.8%, 1.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Yemen's 18.5% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 32.2%, 57% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.9% | 9.9% | 10.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.4% | 10.0% | 11.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.2% | 11.3% | 13.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.8% | 13.4% | 16.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.7% | 16.9% | 18.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Yemen
More health data for Yemen
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.94 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.04 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 809.4 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 9,603 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 103 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.88 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2018)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0766 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2018)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Yemen?
- Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in Yemen was 18.5% 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 Yemen?
- The highest recorded value was 18.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in Yemen?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.9% in 1985.
- How does Yemen rank for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese?
- Yemen ranks 132nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Yemen?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Yemen 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
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.