Prevalence of overweight in China
China: Prevalence of overweight was 37.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight in China, 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 China stood at 37.5%. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.7% on the previous year and up 33.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight in China peaked at 37.5% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 13.3%, in 1990.
That places China 148th out of 196 countries 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 China, year by year
| Year | % of adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 13.3% | — |
| 1991 | 14.0% | +4.6% |
| 1992 | 14.6% | +4.7% |
| 1993 | 15.3% | +4.5% |
| 1994 | 15.9% | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 16.6% | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 17.2% | +3.9% |
| 1997 | 17.9% | +3.7% |
| 1998 | 18.5% | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 19.1% | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 19.7% | +3.2% |
| 2001 | 20.3% | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 20.9% | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 21.5% | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 22.2% | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 22.8% | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 23.5% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 24.2% | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 25.0% | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 25.8% | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 26.6% | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 27.3% | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 28.2% | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 29.0% | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 29.9% | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 30.9% | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 31.8% | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 32.7% | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 33.6% | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 34.6% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 35.5% | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 36.5% | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 37.5% | +2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.2% | 13.3% | 19.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.6% | 19.7% | 25.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.5% | 26.6% | 34.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.5% | 35.5% | 37.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near China
More health data for China
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.15 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.0985 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,029 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,642 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 10 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -8.22 % 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 0.0159 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -8.73 % 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 prevalence of overweight in China?
- Prevalence of overweight in China was 37.5% 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 37.5% in 2022.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.3% in 1990.
- How does China rank for prevalence of overweight?
- China ranks 148th out of 196 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China 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.