Prevalence of overweight, male in World
World: Prevalence of overweight, male was 38.5% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight, male in World, 1975–2016
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/). Measured in % of male adults.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of overweight, male in World is 38.5%, measured in 2016. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and up 17.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, male in World peaked at 38.5% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 20.0%, in 1975.
World ranks 29th of 43 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight, male in World, year by year
| Year | % of male adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 20.0% | — |
| 1976 | 20.3% | +1.5% |
| 1977 | 20.6% | +1.5% |
| 1978 | 21.0% | +1.9% |
| 1979 | 21.3% | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 21.6% | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 22.0% | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 22.3% | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 22.7% | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 23.0% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 23.4% | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 23.8% | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 24.2% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 24.6% | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 24.9% | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 25.3% | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 25.7% | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 26.1% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 26.6% | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 27.0% | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 27.4% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 27.8% | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 28.3% | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 28.7% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 29.2% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 29.7% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 30.2% | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 30.7% | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 31.2% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 31.7% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 32.2% | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 32.8% | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 33.3% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 33.9% | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 34.5% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 35.1% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 35.6% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 36.2% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 36.8% | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 37.4% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 38.0% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 38.5% | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 20.6% | 20.0% | 21.3% | 5 |
| 1980s | 23.2% | 21.6% | 24.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 27.2% | 25.3% | 29.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.0% | 29.7% | 34.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.8% | 35.1% | 38.5% | 7 |
Countries ranked near World
More health data for World
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2,458 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.47 % 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 0.0381 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.6031 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0401 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, annual growth rate -0.915 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per capita 0.04 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight, male in World?
- Prevalence of overweight, male in World was 38.5% in 2016, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).
- What is the highest prevalence of overweight, male recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 38.5% in 2016.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, male recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.0% in 1975.
- How does World rank for prevalence of overweight, male?
- World ranks 29th out of 43 groups with data for 2016.
- Is prevalence of overweight, male rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/), published as part of Prevalence of overweight, male (% of male adults). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Prevalence of overweight male adults is the percentage of males ages 18 and over whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is more than 25 kg/m2. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height, or the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters.