Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita in El Salvador
El Salvador: Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita was 31.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita in El Salvador, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
El Salvador recorded 31.4% for share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 24.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita in El Salvador peaked at 31.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.5%, in 1980.
That places El Salvador 58th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 6.5% | — |
| 1981 | 6.8% | +4.8% |
| 1982 | 7.1% | +4.7% |
| 1983 | 7.5% | +4.8% |
| 1984 | 7.8% | +4.9% |
| 1985 | 8.2% | +5.0% |
| 1986 | 8.6% | +5.0% |
| 1987 | 9.0% | +5.0% |
| 1988 | 9.5% | +5.2% |
| 1989 | 10.0% | +5.3% |
| 1990 | 10.5% | +5.2% |
| 1991 | 11.1% | +5.1% |
| 1992 | 11.6% | +5.0% |
| 1993 | 12.2% | +4.9% |
| 1994 | 12.8% | +4.9% |
| 1995 | 13.4% | +4.8% |
| 1996 | 14.0% | +4.6% |
| 1997 | 14.7% | +4.5% |
| 1998 | 15.3% | +4.4% |
| 1999 | 16.0% | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 16.7% | +4.2% |
| 2001 | 17.3% | +4.0% |
| 2002 | 18.0% | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 18.6% | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 19.3% | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 19.9% | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 20.5% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 21.1% | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 21.8% | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 22.4% | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 23.0% | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 23.6% | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 24.1% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 24.7% | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 25.3% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 25.8% | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 26.4% | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 27.0% | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 27.5% | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 28.1% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 28.7% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 29.4% | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 30.0% | +2.2% |
| 2023 | 30.7% | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 31.4% | +2.2% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 31.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 28.6%, 1.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 31.4% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 33.2%, 95% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.1% | 6.5% | 10.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.2% | 10.5% | 16.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.6% | 16.7% | 22.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.6% | 23.0% | 28.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.1% | 28.7% | 31.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More health data for El Salvador
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.89 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4574 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,537 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 104 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.9135 % 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 0.0374 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.8849 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita in El Salvador?
- Share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita in El Salvador was 31.4% 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 El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 31.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.5% in 1980.
- How does El Salvador rank for share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita?
- El Salvador ranks 58th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this El Salvador 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
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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.