Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Kenya
Kenya: Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 4.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
4.3%
Change on year
up 7.5%
World rank
111th
of 162 countries
All-time high
7.1%
in 2001
All-time low
3.7%
in 2019
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Kenya, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
The most recent figure for overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Kenya is 4.3%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 7.5% on the previous year and down 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Kenya peaked at 7.1% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 3.7%, in 2019.
That places Kenya 111th out of 162 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 7.0% | — |
| 2001 | 7.1% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 7.1% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7.1% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 7.1% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6.9% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 6.7% | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 6.5% | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 6.2% | -4.6% |
| 2009 | 5.9% | -4.8% |
| 2010 | 5.6% | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 5.3% | -5.4% |
| 2012 | 5.0% | -5.7% |
| 2013 | 4.7% | -6.0% |
| 2014 | 4.5% | -4.3% |
| 2015 | 4.2% | -6.7% |
| 2016 | 4.0% | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 3.9% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 3.8% | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 3.7% | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 3.7% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 3.7% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 3.8% | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 4.0% | +5.3% |
| 2024 | 4.3% | +7.5% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 4.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.7%, 92% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 4.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.2%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.8% | 5.9% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.5% | 3.7% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.9% | 3.7% | 4.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 111 South Sudan 4.3% compare
- 113 Honduras 4.2% compare
- 113 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 4.2% compare
- 113 Azerbaijan 4.2% compare
- 113 Uganda 4.2% compare
More health data for Kenya
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6026 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,119 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 16,059 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 89 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.28 % 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 0.0621 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.28 % 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 prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Kenya?
- Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Kenya was 4.3% 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 7.1% in 2001.
- What is the lowest overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.7% in 2019.
- How does Kenya rank for overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- Kenya ranks 111th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
- Is overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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.
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CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).