Prevalence of overweight in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Prevalence of overweight was 28.3% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight in Africa Eastern and Southern, 1990–2022
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/). Measured in % of adults.
Analysis
In 2022, prevalence of overweight in Africa Eastern and Southern stood at 28.3%. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 19.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 28.3% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 14.2%, in 1990.
Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 40th of 43 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | % of adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 14.2% | — |
| 1991 | 14.6% | +2.6% |
| 1992 | 15.0% | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 15.4% | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 15.7% | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 16.1% | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 16.5% | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 16.9% | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 17.3% | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 17.7% | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 18.2% | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 18.7% | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 19.2% | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 19.7% | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 20.2% | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 20.7% | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 21.1% | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 21.6% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 22.0% | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 22.4% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 22.8% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 23.2% | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 23.6% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 24.0% | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 24.4% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 24.8% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 25.3% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 25.7% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 26.2% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 26.7% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 27.2% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 27.7% | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 28.3% | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.9% | 14.2% | 17.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.4% | 18.2% | 22.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.7% | 22.8% | 26.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.7% | 27.2% | 28.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
More health data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- Population ages 05-09, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, annual growth rate 4.21 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per capita 0.0196 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, annual growth rate 3.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per capita 0.0232 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0284 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Prevalence of overweight in Africa Eastern and Southern was 28.3% in 2022, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).
- What is the highest prevalence of overweight recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 28.3% in 2022.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.2% in 1990.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for prevalence of overweight?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 40th out of 43 groups with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern 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 (% of adults). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Prevalence of overweight adults is the percentage of adults 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.