Prevalence of overweight in South Asia
South Asia: Prevalence of overweight was 29.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight in South Asia, 1990–2022
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/). Measured in % of adults.
Analysis
South Asia recorded 29.4% for prevalence of overweight in 2022. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 50.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight in South Asia peaked at 29.4% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 6.0%, in 1990.
South Asia ranks 38th of 43 groups 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 South Asia, year by year
| Year | % of adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 6.0% | — |
| 1991 | 6.4% | +6.4% |
| 1992 | 6.8% | +6.0% |
| 1993 | 7.2% | +6.1% |
| 1994 | 7.6% | +5.9% |
| 1995 | 8.0% | +5.9% |
| 1996 | 8.5% | +5.8% |
| 1997 | 9.0% | +5.8% |
| 1998 | 9.5% | +5.9% |
| 1999 | 10.1% | +5.8% |
| 2000 | 10.7% | +5.8% |
| 2001 | 11.3% | +5.8% |
| 2002 | 11.9% | +5.6% |
| 2003 | 12.6% | +5.7% |
| 2004 | 13.3% | +5.5% |
| 2005 | 14.0% | +5.3% |
| 2006 | 14.7% | +5.3% |
| 2007 | 15.5% | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 16.3% | +5.0% |
| 2009 | 17.1% | +4.9% |
| 2010 | 17.9% | +4.8% |
| 2011 | 18.7% | +4.6% |
| 2012 | 19.6% | +4.6% |
| 2013 | 20.5% | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 21.4% | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 22.3% | +4.5% |
| 2016 | 23.3% | +4.4% |
| 2017 | 24.3% | +4.3% |
| 2018 | 25.3% | +4.2% |
| 2019 | 26.3% | +4.0% |
| 2020 | 27.3% | +3.9% |
| 2021 | 28.4% | +3.8% |
| 2022 | 29.4% | +3.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.9% | 6.0% | 10.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.7% | 10.7% | 17.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.0% | 17.9% | 26.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.4% | 27.3% | 29.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
- 35 Türkiye 67.6% compare
- 36 New Zealand 67.4% compare
- 37 Nicaragua 67.2% compare
- 38 Barbados 67.2% compare
- 39 Costa Rica 66.9% compare
- 40 Ecuador 66.8% compare
- 41 El Salvador 66.2% compare
More health data for South Asia
- Population ages 30-34, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per capita 0.0417 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, male, per capita 0.0101 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, annual growth rate 6.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per capita 0.0067 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, annual growth rate 1.16 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, annual growth rate 6.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, male, annual growth rate 4.5 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight in South Asia?
- Prevalence of overweight in South Asia was 29.4% 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 South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 29.4% in 2022.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.0% in 1990.
- How does South Asia rank for prevalence of overweight?
- South Asia ranks 38th out of 43 groups with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 50.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Asia 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.