Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita in South Africa
South Africa: Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita was 31.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita in South Africa, 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 South Africa stood at 31.3%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita in South Africa peaked at 31.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.4%, in 1980.
South Africa ranks 59th 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 South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 9.4% | — |
| 1981 | 9.8% | +3.6% |
| 1982 | 10.1% | +3.7% |
| 1983 | 10.5% | +3.8% |
| 1984 | 10.9% | +3.9% |
| 1985 | 11.3% | +3.8% |
| 1986 | 11.7% | +3.8% |
| 1987 | 12.2% | +3.8% |
| 1988 | 12.7% | +3.8% |
| 1989 | 13.1% | +3.9% |
| 1990 | 13.6% | +3.9% |
| 1991 | 14.2% | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 14.8% | +4.5% |
| 1993 | 15.4% | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 16.0% | +4.4% |
| 1995 | 16.9% | +5.6% |
| 1996 | 17.8% | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 18.5% | +4.4% |
| 1998 | 19.2% | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 19.8% | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 20.5% | +3.2% |
| 2001 | 21.1% | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 21.6% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 22.2% | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 22.7% | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 23.2% | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 23.7% | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 24.2% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 24.7% | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 25.1% | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 25.5% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 25.8% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 26.2% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 26.6% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 26.9% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 27.2% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 27.7% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 28.2% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 28.6% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 29.1% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 29.5% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 30.0% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 30.4% | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 30.9% | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 31.3% | +1.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 31.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 28.6%, 1.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 31.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11.6%, 2.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.2% | 9.4% | 13.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.6% | 13.6% | 19.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.9% | 20.5% | 25.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.2% | 25.5% | 29.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.4% | 29.5% | 31.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,152 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3,333 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5504 % 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 0.045 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.0003 % 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 South Africa?
- Share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita in South Africa was 31.3% 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 adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 31.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.4% in 1980.
- How does South Africa rank for share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita?
- South Africa ranks 59th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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.