Overweight among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +1 standard in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Overweight among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +1 standard was 31.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
31.1%
Change on year
up 2.3%
World rank
78th
of 198 countries
All-time high
31.1%
in 2024
All-time low
9.8%
in 1985
Years of data
45
1980–2024
Overweight among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +1 standard in Saudi Arabia, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
In 2024, overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard in Saudi Arabia stood at 31.1%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 30.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard in Saudi Arabia peaked at 31.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.8%, in 1985.
Saudi Arabia ranks 78th of 198 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.
Overweight among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +1 standard in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 10.1% | — |
| 1981 | 10.0% | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 9.9% | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 9.9% | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 9.8% | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 9.8% | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 9.8% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 9.8% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 9.9% | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 9.9% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 10.0% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 10.2% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 10.4% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 10.6% | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 10.9% | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 11.2% | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 11.6% | +3.5% |
| 1997 | 12.1% | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 12.6% | +4.2% |
| 1999 | 13.1% | +4.4% |
| 2000 | 13.7% | +4.7% |
| 2001 | 14.4% | +4.8% |
| 2002 | 15.1% | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 15.8% | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 16.5% | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 17.2% | +4.4% |
| 2006 | 17.9% | +4.2% |
| 2007 | 18.7% | +4.0% |
| 2008 | 19.4% | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 20.1% | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 20.8% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 21.5% | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 22.3% | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 23.0% | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 23.8% | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 24.5% | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 25.3% | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 26.1% | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 26.8% | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 27.6% | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 28.3% | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 29.0% | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 29.7% | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 30.4% | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 31.1% | +2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.9% | 9.8% | 10.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.3% | 10.0% | 13.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.9% | 13.7% | 20.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.2% | 20.8% | 27.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.7% | 28.3% | 31.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 75 Montenegro 31.3% compare
- 76 Mongolia 31.3% compare
- 77 Russian Federation 31.2% compare
- 79 Iran, Islamic Republic of 31.0% compare
- 80 Georgia 30.9% compare
- 81 Albania 30.9% compare
More health data for Saudi Arabia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8373 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.3736 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 483.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 829 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 5.31 % 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 0.0384 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 5.38 % 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 overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard in Saudi Arabia?
- Overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard in Saudi Arabia was 31.1% 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 31.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.8% in 1985.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 78th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is overweight among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age > +1 standard rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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).