Overweight among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +1 standard in Malawi
Malawi: Overweight among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +1 standard was 5.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
5.8%
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
194th
of 198 countries
All-time high
5.8%
in 2024
All-time low
2.6%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024
Overweight among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +1 standard in Malawi, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
In 2024, overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard in Malawi stood at 5.8%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 18.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard in Malawi peaked at 5.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 1980.
That places Malawi 194th out of 198 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Overweight among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +1 standard in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 2.6% | — |
| 1981 | 2.6% | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 2.6% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 2.6% | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 2.7% | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 2.7% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 2.7% | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 2.8% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 2.8% | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 2.9% | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 2.9% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 3.0% | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 3.1% | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 3.1% | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 3.2% | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 3.3% | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 3.4% | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 3.4% | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 3.5% | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 3.6% | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 3.7% | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 3.8% | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 3.9% | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 4.0% | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 4.1% | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 4.2% | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 4.3% | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 4.4% | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 4.5% | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 4.5% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 4.6% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 4.7% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 4.7% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 4.8% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 4.9% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 4.9% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 5.0% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 5.1% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 5.2% | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 5.3% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 5.4% | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 5.4% | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 5.5% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 5.6% | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 5.8% | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.7% | 2.6% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.3% | 2.9% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.2% | 3.7% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.9% | 4.6% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.5% | 5.4% | 5.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 191 Eritrea 6.5% compare
- 192 Burkina Faso 6.5% compare
- 193 Mali 5.9% compare
- 195 Nepal 5.4% compare
- 196 Tanzania, United Republic of 5.1% compare
- 197 Timor-Leste 3.2% compare
More health data for Malawi
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8368 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9312 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 856.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 6,399 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 2.4 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per capita 0.0234 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, annual growth rate 9.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per capita 0.0184 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard in Malawi?
- Overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard in Malawi was 5.8% in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 5.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 1980.
- How does Malawi rank for overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard?
- Malawi ranks 194th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Overweight among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +1 standard deviations above the median (crude estimate) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).