Prevalence of overweight in Kenya
Kenya: Prevalence of overweight was 33.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight in Kenya, 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 Kenya stood at 33.7%. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 29.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight in Kenya peaked at 33.7% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 11.4%, in 1990.
Kenya ranks 160th of 196 countries 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 Kenya, year by year
| Year | % of adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 11.4% | — |
| 1991 | 11.9% | +4.1% |
| 1992 | 12.4% | +4.0% |
| 1993 | 12.9% | +4.0% |
| 1994 | 13.4% | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 14.0% | +4.0% |
| 1996 | 14.5% | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 15.1% | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 15.8% | +4.2% |
| 1999 | 16.4% | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 17.1% | +4.2% |
| 2001 | 17.8% | +4.1% |
| 2002 | 18.6% | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 19.3% | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 20.1% | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 20.8% | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 21.6% | +3.7% |
| 2007 | 22.3% | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 23.1% | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 23.8% | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 24.6% | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 25.3% | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 26.0% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 26.7% | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 27.5% | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 28.2% | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 29.0% | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 29.7% | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 30.5% | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 31.3% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 32.1% | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 32.9% | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 33.7% | +2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.8% | 11.4% | 16.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.4% | 17.1% | 23.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.9% | 24.6% | 31.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.9% | 32.1% | 33.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More health data for Kenya
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6026 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,119 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 16,059 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per capita 0.059 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, male, annual growth rate 0.2206 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, male, per capita 0.0599 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, female, annual growth rate -0.5263 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight in Kenya?
- Prevalence of overweight in Kenya was 33.7% 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 33.7% in 2022.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.4% in 1990.
- How does Kenya rank for prevalence of overweight?
- Kenya ranks 160th out of 196 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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.