Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Eastern Mediterranean (WHO region)
Eastern Mediterranean (WHO region): Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 4.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
4.5%
Change on year
down 2.2%
Rank
9th
of 13 groups
All-time high
7.9%
in 2005
All-time low
4.5%
in 2024
Years of data
35
1990–2024
Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Eastern Mediterranean (WHO region), 1990–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
Eastern Mediterranean (WHO region) recorded 4.5% for overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.2% on the previous year and down 31.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Eastern Mediterranean (WHO region) peaked at 7.9% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 4.5%, in 2024.
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 Eastern Mediterranean (WHO region), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 6.1% | — |
| 1991 | 5.9% | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 5.9% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 5.8% | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 5.9% | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 6.0% | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 6.1% | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 6.3% | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 6.5% | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 6.8% | +4.6% |
| 2000 | 7.0% | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 7.2% | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 7.4% | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 7.6% | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 7.8% | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 7.9% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 7.9% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 7.9% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 7.8% | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 7.6% | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 7.5% | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 7.3% | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 7.1% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 6.9% | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 6.6% | -4.3% |
| 2015 | 6.3% | -4.5% |
| 2016 | 6.1% | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 5.8% | -4.9% |
| 2018 | 5.5% | -5.2% |
| 2019 | 5.3% | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 5.1% | -3.8% |
| 2021 | 4.9% | -3.9% |
| 2022 | 4.7% | -4.1% |
| 2023 | 4.6% | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 4.5% | -2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.1% | 5.8% | 6.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.6% | 7.0% | 7.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.4% | 5.3% | 7.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 4.5% | 5.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Eastern Mediterranean (WHO region)
More health data for Eastern Mediterranean (WHO region)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 482 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 83,590 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 5,830 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 524 (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, gaps filled 14,992 (2025)
- Number of under-five deaths, annual growth rate -2.69 % change on previous year (2024)
- Number of neonatal deaths, annual growth rate -2.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Number of infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Measles - number of reported cases, annual growth rate 6.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, annual growth rate 140.84 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Eastern Mediterranean (WHO region)?
- Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Eastern Mediterranean (WHO region) was 4.5% 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 Eastern Mediterranean (WHO region)?
- The highest recorded value was 7.9% in 2005.
- What is the lowest overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Eastern Mediterranean (WHO region)?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.5% in 2024.
- How does Eastern Mediterranean (WHO region) rank for overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- Eastern Mediterranean (WHO region) ranks 9th out of 13 groups with data for 2024.
- Is overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in Eastern Mediterranean (WHO region)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Eastern Mediterranean (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
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).