Prevalence of overweight (% of adults) in Malawi
Malawi: Prevalence of overweight (% of adults) was 24.3% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight in Malawi, 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 Malawi is 24.3%, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
The figure is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 29.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight in Malawi peaked at 24.3% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 8.9%, in 1990.
Malawi ranks 179th 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 (% of adults) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 8.9% | — |
| 1991 | 9.2% | +3.5% |
| 1992 | 9.5% | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 9.8% | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 10.2% | +3.5% |
| 1995 | 10.5% | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 10.9% | +3.5% |
| 1997 | 11.3% | +3.6% |
| 1998 | 11.7% | +3.7% |
| 1999 | 12.2% | +3.8% |
| 2000 | 12.6% | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 13.1% | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 13.6% | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 14.2% | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 14.7% | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 15.2% | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 15.7% | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 16.2% | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 16.8% | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 17.3% | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 17.8% | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 18.2% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 18.7% | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 19.2% | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 19.8% | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 20.3% | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 20.8% | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 21.3% | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 21.9% | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 22.5% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 23.1% | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 23.7% | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 24.3% | +2.6% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 24.3% is above the median for low income countries, which is 24.2%, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 24.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 32.8%, 74% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.4% | 8.9% | 12.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.9% | 12.6% | 17.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.1% | 17.8% | 22.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.7% | 23.1% | 24.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More health data for Malawi
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8368 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9312 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 6,399 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.61 % 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 0.0714 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0718 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight in Malawi?
- Prevalence of overweight in Malawi was 24.3% 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 24.3% in 2022.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.9% in 1990.
- How does Malawi rank for prevalence of overweight?
- Malawi ranks 179th out of 196 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi 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.