Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita was 18.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita in Afghanistan, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 18.8% for share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.4% on the previous year and up 81.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita in Afghanistan peaked at 18.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 1980.
That places Afghanistan 130th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.8% | — |
| 1981 | 0.9% | +7.1% |
| 1982 | 1.0% | +7.3% |
| 1983 | 1.0% | +7.4% |
| 1984 | 1.1% | +7.5% |
| 1985 | 1.2% | +7.5% |
| 1986 | 1.3% | +7.6% |
| 1987 | 1.4% | +7.6% |
| 1988 | 1.5% | +7.7% |
| 1989 | 1.6% | +7.8% |
| 1990 | 1.7% | +7.8% |
| 1991 | 1.9% | +7.8% |
| 1992 | 2.0% | +7.9% |
| 1993 | 2.2% | +7.9% |
| 1994 | 2.3% | +8.0% |
| 1995 | 2.5% | +8.1% |
| 1996 | 2.7% | +8.1% |
| 1997 | 3.0% | +8.3% |
| 1998 | 3.2% | +8.3% |
| 1999 | 3.5% | +8.4% |
| 2000 | 3.8% | +8.4% |
| 2001 | 4.1% | +8.4% |
| 2002 | 4.4% | +8.3% |
| 2003 | 4.8% | +8.1% |
| 2004 | 5.2% | +8.0% |
| 2005 | 5.6% | +7.8% |
| 2006 | 6.0% | +7.7% |
| 2007 | 6.4% | +7.5% |
| 2008 | 6.9% | +7.4% |
| 2009 | 7.4% | +7.2% |
| 2010 | 7.9% | +7.1% |
| 2011 | 8.5% | +6.9% |
| 2012 | 9.1% | +6.9% |
| 2013 | 9.7% | +6.8% |
| 2014 | 10.3% | +6.8% |
| 2015 | 11.0% | +6.8% |
| 2016 | 11.8% | +6.7% |
| 2017 | 12.6% | +6.6% |
| 2018 | 13.4% | +6.4% |
| 2019 | 14.2% | +6.2% |
| 2020 | 15.1% | +6.0% |
| 2021 | 15.9% | +5.9% |
| 2022 | 16.9% | +5.7% |
| 2023 | 17.8% | +5.6% |
| 2024 | 18.8% | +5.4% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 18.8% is above the median for low income countries, which is 8.2%, 2.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 18.8% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 30.3%, 62% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.2% | 0.8% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.5% | 1.7% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.4% | 3.8% | 7.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.8% | 7.9% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.9% | 15.1% | 18.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More health data for Afghanistan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.45 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.03 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 812.4 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 14,735 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 19 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.077 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita in Afghanistan?
- Share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita in Afghanistan was 18.8% 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 adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 18.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 1980.
- How does Afghanistan rank for share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita?
- Afghanistan ranks 130th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 81.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Afghanistan 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 adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita. 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
Obesity is defined as having a body-mass index (BMI) ≥ 30. BMI is a person's weight (in kilograms) divided by their height (in meters) squared. GDP per capita is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.