Prevalence of overweight in Africa Western and Central
Africa Western and Central: Prevalence of overweight was 32.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight in Africa Western and Central, 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 Western and Central stood at 32.4%. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 19.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight in Africa Western and Central peaked at 32.4% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 11.2%, in 1990.
That places Africa Western and Central 34th out of 43 groups with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight in Africa Western and Central, year by year
| Year | % of adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 11.2% | — |
| 1991 | 11.7% | +5.2% |
| 1992 | 12.3% | +5.2% |
| 1993 | 13.0% | +5.2% |
| 1994 | 13.6% | +5.1% |
| 1995 | 14.3% | +5.0% |
| 1996 | 15.0% | +5.0% |
| 1997 | 15.8% | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 16.6% | +5.0% |
| 1999 | 17.4% | +5.0% |
| 2000 | 18.3% | +4.8% |
| 2001 | 19.1% | +4.7% |
| 2002 | 20.0% | +4.6% |
| 2003 | 20.9% | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 21.7% | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 22.5% | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 23.3% | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 24.1% | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 24.8% | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 25.5% | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 26.1% | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 26.6% | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 27.1% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 27.6% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 28.1% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 28.6% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 29.1% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 29.6% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 30.1% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 30.7% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 31.2% | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 31.8% | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 32.4% | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.1% | 11.2% | 17.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.0% | 18.3% | 25.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.3% | 26.1% | 30.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.8% | 31.2% | 32.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Africa Western and Central
More health data for Africa Western and Central
- Population ages 35-39, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 2.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0237 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, annual growth rate 2.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0278 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 2.24 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0277 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, annual growth rate 2.27 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight in Africa Western and Central?
- Prevalence of overweight in Africa Western and Central was 32.4% 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 Western and Central?
- The highest recorded value was 32.4% in 2022.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.2% in 1990.
- How does Africa Western and Central rank for prevalence of overweight?
- Africa Western and Central ranks 34th out of 43 groups with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight rising or falling in Africa Western and Central?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Western and Central 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.