Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in AFR
AFR: Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 4.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
4.2%
Change on year
up 10.5%
Rank
14th
of 19 groups
All-time high
5.7%
in 1999
All-time low
3.3%
in 2018
Years of data
35
1990–2024
Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in AFR, 1990–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
In 2024, overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in AFR stood at 4.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.5% on the previous year and up 13.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in AFR peaked at 5.7% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 2018.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in AFR, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4.1% | — |
| 1991 | 4.3% | +4.9% |
| 1992 | 4.5% | +4.7% |
| 1993 | 4.8% | +6.7% |
| 1994 | 5.0% | +4.2% |
| 1995 | 5.2% | +4.0% |
| 1996 | 5.4% | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 5.5% | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 5.6% | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 5.7% | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 5.7% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 5.7% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 5.6% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 5.5% | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 5.3% | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 5.2% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 5.0% | -3.8% |
| 2008 | 4.8% | -4.0% |
| 2009 | 4.6% | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 4.4% | -4.3% |
| 2011 | 4.2% | -4.5% |
| 2012 | 4.0% | -4.8% |
| 2013 | 3.8% | -5.0% |
| 2014 | 3.7% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 3.6% | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 3.5% | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 3.3% | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 3.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3.4% | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 3.5% | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 3.6% | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 3.8% | +5.6% |
| 2024 | 4.2% | +10.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.0% | 4.1% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.3% | 4.6% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.7% | 3.3% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.7% | 3.4% | 4.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near AFR
More health data for AFR
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases 20,578 (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases 12,202 (2025)
- Under-five mortality rate 69.9 (2024)
- Infant mortality rate (probability of dying between birth and age 1) 46.32 (2024)
- Maternal mortality ratio 442.12 (2023)
- Number of deaths among adolescents 181,479 (2024)
- Number of deaths among children ages 5 to 9 years 281,554 (2024)
- Mortality rate among children ages 5 to 9 years 8.27 (2024)
- Population with primary reliance on clean fuels and technologies for 55.86 (2023)
- Population with primary reliance on polluting fuels and technologies 632.45 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in AFR?
- Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in AFR was 4.2% in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in AFR?
- The highest recorded value was 5.7% in 1999.
- What is the lowest overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in AFR?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 2018.
- How does AFR rank for overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- AFR ranks 14th out of 19 groups with data for 2024.
- Is overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in AFR?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this AFR data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (% weight-for-height >+2 SD), model-based estimates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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