Prevalence of overweight in Gambia
Gambia: Prevalence of overweight was 40.9% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight in Gambia, 1990–2022
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/). Measured in % of adults.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of overweight in Gambia is 40.9%, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 36.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight in Gambia peaked at 40.9% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 7.5%, in 1990.
Gambia ranks 139th of 196 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight in Gambia, year by year
| Year | % of adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 7.5% | — |
| 1991 | 8.1% | +6.9% |
| 1992 | 8.6% | +6.9% |
| 1993 | 9.2% | +7.0% |
| 1994 | 9.9% | +7.2% |
| 1995 | 10.6% | +7.3% |
| 1996 | 11.4% | +7.5% |
| 1997 | 12.2% | +7.6% |
| 1998 | 13.2% | +7.7% |
| 1999 | 14.2% | +7.8% |
| 2000 | 15.3% | +7.7% |
| 2001 | 16.5% | +7.6% |
| 2002 | 17.7% | +7.4% |
| 2003 | 19.0% | +7.2% |
| 2004 | 20.3% | +6.9% |
| 2005 | 21.6% | +6.5% |
| 2006 | 22.9% | +6.1% |
| 2007 | 24.2% | +5.7% |
| 2008 | 25.5% | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 26.7% | +4.8% |
| 2010 | 27.9% | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 29.0% | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 30.0% | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 31.1% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 32.1% | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 33.1% | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 34.2% | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 35.3% | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 36.4% | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 37.5% | +3.1% |
| 2020 | 38.6% | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 39.8% | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 40.9% | +2.9% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 40.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 24.2%, 1.7× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 40.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 32.8%, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.5% | 7.5% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.0% | 15.3% | 26.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.7% | 27.9% | 37.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.8% | 38.6% | 40.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
- 136 Sao Tome and Principe 42.6% compare
- 137 Lesotho 42.3% compare
- 138 Botswana 42.0% compare
- 140 Singapore 40.7% compare
- 141 Switzerland 40.6% compare
- 142 Equatorial Guinea 39.5% compare
More health data for Gambia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.15 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,044 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 700 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.9696 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0686 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9636 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight in Gambia?
- Prevalence of overweight in Gambia was 40.9% 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 Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 40.9% in 2022.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.5% in 1990.
- How does Gambia rank for prevalence of overweight?
- Gambia ranks 139th out of 196 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Gambia 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.