Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Africa (WHO region)
Africa (WHO region): 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
10th
of 13 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 Africa (WHO region), 1990–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
Africa (WHO region) recorded 4.2% for overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in 2024.
The figure 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 Africa (WHO region) 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 Africa (WHO region), 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 Africa (WHO region)
More health data for Africa (WHO region)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1,654 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 179,400 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 20,261 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 20,578 (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, gaps filled 12,202 (2025)
- Number of under-five deaths, annual growth rate -1.43 % change on previous year (2024)
- Number of neonatal deaths, annual growth rate -0.0365 % change on previous year (2024)
- Number of infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8695 % change on previous year (2024)
- Measles - number of reported cases, annual growth rate -8.02 % change on previous year (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, annual growth rate 160.28 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Africa (WHO region)?
- Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Africa (WHO region) 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 Africa (WHO region)?
- The highest recorded value was 5.7% in 1999.
- What is the lowest overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Africa (WHO region)?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 2018.
- How does Africa (WHO region) rank for overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- Africa (WHO region) ranks 10th out of 13 groups with data for 2024.
- Is overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in Africa (WHO region)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa (WHO region) 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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