Prevalence of overweight in South Africa
South Africa: Prevalence of overweight was 55.0% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight in South Africa, 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 South Africa is 55.0%, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight in South Africa peaked at 55.0% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 39.2%, in 1990.
That places South Africa 102nd out of 196 countries with data for 2022, putting it 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 South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 39.2% | — |
| 1991 | 40.0% | +2.1% |
| 1992 | 40.9% | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 41.9% | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 42.8% | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 43.8% | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 44.7% | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 45.5% | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 46.3% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 47.0% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 47.8% | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 48.5% | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 49.2% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 49.9% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 50.6% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 51.3% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 51.9% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 52.4% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 52.9% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 53.3% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 53.6% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 53.8% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 54.0% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 54.1% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 54.2% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 54.2% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 54.3% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 54.5% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 54.6% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 54.7% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 54.8% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 54.9% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 55.0% | +0.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 55.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 60.2%, 92% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 55.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 32.8%, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 43.2% | 39.2% | 47.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.8% | 47.8% | 53.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.2% | 53.6% | 54.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.9% | 54.8% | 55.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,152 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3,333 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5504 % 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 0.045 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.0003 % 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 South Africa?
- Prevalence of overweight in South Africa was 55.0% 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 55.0% in 2022.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.2% in 1990.
- How does South Africa rank for prevalence of overweight?
- South Africa ranks 102nd out of 196 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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.