Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita was 27.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita in Papua New Guinea, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita in Papua New Guinea stood at 27.6%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 20.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita in Papua New Guinea peaked at 27.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 10.4%, in 1980.
Papua New Guinea ranks 83rd 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 adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 10.4% | — |
| 1981 | 10.6% | +2.2% |
| 1982 | 10.8% | +2.3% |
| 1983 | 11.1% | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 11.4% | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 11.7% | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 12.0% | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 12.3% | +2.8% |
| 1988 | 12.6% | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 13.0% | +2.9% |
| 1990 | 13.4% | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 13.8% | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 14.2% | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 14.5% | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 14.9% | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 15.3% | +2.6% |
| 1996 | 15.7% | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 16.1% | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 16.5% | +2.5% |
| 1999 | 16.9% | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 17.3% | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 17.7% | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 18.2% | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 18.6% | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 19.0% | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 19.4% | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 19.8% | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 20.2% | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 20.5% | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 20.9% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 21.3% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 21.7% | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 22.1% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 22.5% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 22.9% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 23.3% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 23.7% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 24.2% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 24.6% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 25.1% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 25.6% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 26.0% | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 26.5% | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 27.1% | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 27.6% | +2.0% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 27.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.6%, 1.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 27.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 24.6%, 1.1× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.6% | 10.4% | 13.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.1% | 13.4% | 16.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.1% | 17.3% | 20.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.1% | 21.3% | 25.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.6% | 25.6% | 27.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More health data for Papua New Guinea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.77 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.3741 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,127 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 2,501 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2023)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.27 % 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 0.0555 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.2621 % 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 Papua New Guinea?
- Share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita in Papua New Guinea was 27.6% 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 Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 27.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.4% in 1980.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 83rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.