Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita was 11.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of adults who are obese vs. GDP per capita in Sri Lanka, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 11.2% 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 4.6% on the previous year and up 68.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita in Sri Lanka peaked at 11.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1980.
That places Sri Lanka 163rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.5% | — |
| 1981 | 0.5% | +7.8% |
| 1982 | 0.5% | +8.1% |
| 1983 | 0.6% | +8.3% |
| 1984 | 0.6% | +8.4% |
| 1985 | 0.7% | +8.3% |
| 1986 | 0.7% | +8.3% |
| 1987 | 0.8% | +8.3% |
| 1988 | 0.9% | +8.5% |
| 1989 | 0.9% | +8.6% |
| 1990 | 1.0% | +8.7% |
| 1991 | 1.1% | +8.7% |
| 1992 | 1.2% | +8.6% |
| 1993 | 1.3% | +8.6% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | +8.7% |
| 1995 | 1.6% | +9.0% |
| 1996 | 1.7% | +9.2% |
| 1997 | 1.8% | +9.2% |
| 1998 | 2.0% | +9.2% |
| 1999 | 2.2% | +9.1% |
| 2000 | 2.4% | +9.0% |
| 2001 | 2.6% | +8.8% |
| 2002 | 2.8% | +8.5% |
| 2003 | 3.1% | +8.3% |
| 2004 | 3.3% | +8.2% |
| 2005 | 3.6% | +8.1% |
| 2006 | 3.9% | +7.9% |
| 2007 | 4.2% | +7.8% |
| 2008 | 4.5% | +7.6% |
| 2009 | 4.8% | +7.4% |
| 2010 | 5.2% | +7.1% |
| 2011 | 5.5% | +6.8% |
| 2012 | 5.9% | +6.6% |
| 2013 | 6.3% | +6.4% |
| 2014 | 6.7% | +6.3% |
| 2015 | 7.1% | +6.2% |
| 2016 | 7.5% | +6.1% |
| 2017 | 7.9% | +5.8% |
| 2018 | 8.4% | +5.6% |
| 2019 | 8.8% | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 9.3% | +5.1% |
| 2021 | 9.7% | +5.0% |
| 2022 | 10.2% | +4.8% |
| 2023 | 10.7% | +4.7% |
| 2024 | 11.2% | +4.6% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 11.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 28.6%, 39% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 11.2% is above the median for South Asia, which is 9.6%, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.5% | 1.0% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.5% | 2.4% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.9% | 5.2% | 8.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.2% | 9.3% | 11.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More health data for Sri Lanka
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.62 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7332 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,250 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 304 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.13 % 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 0.0339 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.12 % 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 Sri Lanka?
- Share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita in Sri Lanka was 11.2% 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 11.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1980.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita?
- Sri Lanka ranks 163rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 68.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.