Prevalence of overweight in Malaysia
Malaysia: Prevalence of overweight was 54.9% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight in Malaysia, 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 Malaysia stood at 54.9%. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 18.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight in Malaysia peaked at 54.9% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 23.5%, in 1990.
Malaysia ranks 104th 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 Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % of adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 23.5% | — |
| 1991 | 24.4% | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 25.4% | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 26.5% | +4.0% |
| 1994 | 27.5% | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 28.6% | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 29.7% | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 30.8% | +3.7% |
| 1998 | 31.9% | +3.7% |
| 1999 | 33.1% | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 34.2% | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 35.4% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 36.5% | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 37.6% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 38.7% | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 39.8% | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 40.8% | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 41.9% | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 42.8% | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 43.8% | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 44.7% | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 45.5% | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 46.4% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 47.3% | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 48.1% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 49.0% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 49.9% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 50.7% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 51.6% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 52.4% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 53.2% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 54.1% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 54.9% | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 28.1% | 23.5% | 33.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 39.1% | 34.2% | 43.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.6% | 44.7% | 52.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.1% | 53.2% | 54.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More health data for Malaysia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.9119 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.2888 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,250 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 652 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 18 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.7207 % 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 0.0297 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.5991 % 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 Malaysia?
- Prevalence of overweight in Malaysia was 54.9% 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 54.9% in 2022.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.5% in 1990.
- How does Malaysia rank for prevalence of overweight?
- Malaysia ranks 104th out of 196 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.