Prevalence of overweight in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Prevalence of overweight was 22.8% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight in Sierra Leone, 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 Sierra Leone stood at 22.8%. 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 15.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight in Sierra Leone peaked at 22.8% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 8.6%, in 1990.
Sierra Leone ranks 185th 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 Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 8.6% | — |
| 1991 | 9.0% | +5.0% |
| 1992 | 9.4% | +4.9% |
| 1993 | 9.9% | +4.9% |
| 1994 | 10.4% | +4.8% |
| 1995 | 10.9% | +4.9% |
| 1996 | 11.4% | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 12.0% | +4.9% |
| 1998 | 12.6% | +4.9% |
| 1999 | 13.2% | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 13.8% | +4.8% |
| 2001 | 14.5% | +4.6% |
| 2002 | 15.1% | +4.4% |
| 2003 | 15.7% | +4.2% |
| 2004 | 16.4% | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 16.9% | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 17.5% | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 18.0% | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 18.4% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 18.8% | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 19.2% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 19.5% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 19.7% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 20.0% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 20.2% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 20.5% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 20.8% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 21.1% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 21.4% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 21.8% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 22.1% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 22.4% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 22.8% | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.7% | 8.6% | 13.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.5% | 13.8% | 18.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.4% | 19.2% | 21.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.5% | 22.1% | 22.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 182 Japan 24.0% compare
- 183 Uganda 23.8% compare
- 184 Central African Republic 23.7% compare
- 186 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 21.8% compare
- 187 Burkina Faso 21.7% compare
- 188 Chad 21.4% compare
More health data for Sierra Leone
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.34 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.773 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,199 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,209 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.6447 % 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 0.0663 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.6611 % 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 Sierra Leone?
- Prevalence of overweight in Sierra Leone was 22.8% 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 22.8% in 2022.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.6% in 1990.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for prevalence of overweight?
- Sierra Leone ranks 185th out of 196 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.