Overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) in Latin America and the Caribbean

Latin America and the Caribbean: Overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) was 8.77 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
8.77
Change on year
up 2.5%
Rank
3rd
of 9 groups
All-time high
8.77
in 2024
All-time low
6.73
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2000–2024

024682000201220242000: 6.72001: 6.82002: 6.82003: 6.92004: 6.92005: 72006: 72007: 7.12008: 7.12009: 7.12010: 7.22011: 7.32012: 7.32013: 7.42014: 7.52015: 7.62016: 7.72017: 7.72018: 7.92019: 82020: 8.12021: 8.22022: 8.42023: 8.62024: 8.8

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

Latin America and the Caribbean recorded 8.77 for overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 17.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) in Latin America and the Caribbean peaked at 8.77 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.73, in 2000.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) in Latin America and the Caribbean, year by year

Annual values for Overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from the median of the WHO Child Growth Standards) among children under 5 years of age (JME modeled estimate) - SDG 2.2.2 in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 6.73
2001 6.76 +0.6%
2002 6.82 +0.8%
2003 6.88 +0.9%
2004 6.92 +0.5%
2005 6.96 +0.7%
2006 6.98 +0.3%
2007 7.06 +1.2%
2008 7.08 +0.3%
2009 7.14 +0.9%
2010 7.2 +0.8%
2011 7.26 +0.8%
2012 7.35 +1.2%
2013 7.43 +1.1%
2014 7.48 +0.7%
2015 7.57 +1.1%
2016 7.66 +1.2%
2017 7.74 +1.1%
2018 7.86 +1.5%
2019 7.96 +1.2%
2020 8.08 +1.5%
2021 8.22 +1.7%
2022 8.36 +1.7%
2023 8.56 +2.3%
2024 8.77 +2.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 6.93 6.73 7.14 10
2010s 7.55 7.2 7.96 10
2020s 8.4 8.08 8.77 5

Countries ranked near Latin America and the Caribbean

  1. 1 Turks and Caicos Islands 18.34 compare
  2. 2 Paraguay 15.4 compare
  3. 3 Trinidad and Tobago 14.98 compare
  4. 4 Argentina 14.28 compare
  5. 5 Uruguay 13.5 compare
  6. 6 Barbados 13.02 compare

See the full ranking of 36 places →

More health data for Latin America and the Caribbean

All data for Latin America and the Caribbean →

Frequently asked questions

What is overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) in Latin America and the Caribbean?
Overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) in Latin America and the Caribbean was 8.77 in 2024, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean?
The highest recorded value was 8.77 in 2024.
What is the lowest overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean?
The lowest recorded value was 6.73 in 2000.
How does Latin America and the Caribbean rank for overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from)?
Latin America and the Caribbean ranks 3rd out of 9 groups with data for 2024.
Is overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) rising or falling in Latin America and the Caribbean?
Over the last ten years it is up 17.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Latin America and the Caribbean data come from?
The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from the median of the WHO Child Growth Standards) among children under 5 years of age (JME modeled estimate) - SDG 2.2.2. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) in Latin America and the Caribbean. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/overweight-prevalence-weight-for-height-2-standard-deviations-from-the-median-of-the-who-2/latin-america-and-the-caribbean/

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About this data

Indicator
Overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from the median of the WHO Child Growth Standards) among children under 5 years of age (JME modeled estimate) - SDG 2.2.2
Source
UNICEF
Licence
UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
36 places, 900 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed