Prevalence of overweight in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea: Prevalence of overweight was 51.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
51.4%
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
117th
of 196 countries
All-time high
51.4%
in 2022
All-time low
35.6%
in 1990
Years of data
33
1990–2022

Prevalence of overweight in Papua New Guinea, 1990–2022

02040601990200620221990: 35.6 % of adults1991: 36.2 % of adults1992: 36.8 % of adults1993: 37.3 % of adults1994: 37.8 % of adults1995: 38.3 % of adults1996: 38.8 % of adults1997: 39.3 % of adults1998: 39.7 % of adults1999: 40.2 % of adults2000: 40.6 % of adults2001: 41.1 % of adults2002: 41.5 % of adults2003: 42 % of adults2004: 42.4 % of adults2005: 42.8 % of adults2006: 43.3 % of adults2007: 43.7 % of adults2008: 44.1 % of adults2009: 44.6 % of adults2010: 45 % of adults2011: 45.5 % of adults2012: 46 % of adults2013: 46.5 % of adults2014: 47 % of adults2015: 47.5 % of adults2016: 48.1 % of adults2017: 48.6 % of adults2018: 49.1 % of adults2019: 49.7 % of adults2020: 50.2 % of adults2021: 50.8 % of adults2022: 51.4 % of adults

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 Papua New Guinea stood at 51.4%. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 11.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight in Papua New Guinea peaked at 51.4% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 35.6%, in 1990.

Papua New Guinea ranks 117th 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 Papua New Guinea, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of overweight (% of adults) in Papua New Guinea, 1990 to 2022.
Year % of adults Change
1990 35.6%
1991 36.2% +1.6%
1992 36.8% +1.5%
1993 37.3% +1.4%
1994 37.8% +1.4%
1995 38.3% +1.3%
1996 38.8% +1.3%
1997 39.3% +1.2%
1998 39.7% +1.2%
1999 40.2% +1.1%
2000 40.6% +1.1%
2001 41.1% +1.1%
2002 41.5% +1.1%
2003 42.0% +1.1%
2004 42.4% +1.0%
2005 42.8% +1.0%
2006 43.3% +1.0%
2007 43.7% +1.0%
2008 44.1% +1.0%
2009 44.6% +1.0%
2010 45.0% +1.0%
2011 45.5% +1.0%
2012 46.0% +1.1%
2013 46.5% +1.1%
2014 47.0% +1.1%
2015 47.5% +1.1%
2016 48.1% +1.1%
2017 48.6% +1.1%
2018 49.1% +1.1%
2019 49.7% +1.1%
2020 50.2% +1.1%
2021 50.8% +1.1%
2022 51.4% +1.1%

Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries

  • Papua New Guinea's 51.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 39.5%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Papua New Guinea's 51.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 55.9%, 92% of the median. (32 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 38.0% 35.6% 40.2% 10
2000s 42.6% 40.6% 44.6% 10
2010s 47.3% 45.0% 49.7% 10
2020s 50.8% 50.2% 51.4% 3

Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea

  1. 114 Maldives 52.5% compare
  2. 115 Bulgaria 52.0% compare
  3. 116 Luxembourg 51.5% compare
  4. 118 Vanuatu 51.3% compare
  5. 119 Mauritius 51.1% compare
  6. 120 Belgium 51.1% compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More health data for Papua New Guinea

All data for Papua New Guinea →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of overweight in Papua New Guinea?
Prevalence of overweight in Papua New Guinea was 51.4% 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 Papua New Guinea?
The highest recorded value was 51.4% in 2022.
What is the lowest prevalence of overweight recorded in Papua New Guinea?
The lowest recorded value was 35.6% in 1990.
How does Papua New Guinea rank for prevalence of overweight?
Papua New Guinea ranks 117th out of 196 countries with data for 2022.
Is prevalence of overweight rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.

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Prevalence of overweight in Papua New Guinea. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/). Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-overweight-percent-of-adults/papua-new-guinea/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of overweight (% of adults)
Unit
% of adults
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
239 places, 7,896 data points, 1975–2022
Last refreshed

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.