Prevalence of overweight (% of adults) in Tanzania
Tanzania: Prevalence of overweight (% of adults) was 32.2% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight in Tanzania, 1990–2022
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/). Measured in % of adults.
Analysis
Tanzania recorded 32.2% for prevalence of overweight in 2022. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 33.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight in Tanzania peaked at 32.2% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 11.0%, in 1990.
Tanzania ranks 162nd 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 (% of adults) in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | % of adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 11.0% | — |
| 1991 | 11.4% | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 11.8% | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 12.3% | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 12.7% | +3.8% |
| 1995 | 13.2% | +3.7% |
| 1996 | 13.7% | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 14.2% | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 14.8% | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 15.3% | +3.9% |
| 2000 | 15.9% | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 16.6% | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 17.2% | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 17.9% | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 18.6% | +3.8% |
| 2005 | 19.3% | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 19.9% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 20.6% | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 21.3% | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 22.0% | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 22.7% | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 23.4% | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 24.1% | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 24.9% | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 25.6% | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 26.4% | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 27.2% | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 28.0% | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 28.8% | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 29.6% | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 30.5% | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 31.4% | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 32.2% | +2.8% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 32.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 39.5%, 82% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 32.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 32.8%, 98% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.0% | 11.0% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.9% | 15.9% | 22.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.1% | 22.7% | 29.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.4% | 30.5% | 32.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
More health data for Tanzania
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.03 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7342 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 32,514 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 13 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.86 % 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 0.0786 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0805 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight in Tanzania?
- Prevalence of overweight in Tanzania was 32.2% 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 Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 32.2% in 2022.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.0% in 1990.
- How does Tanzania rank for prevalence of overweight?
- Tanzania ranks 162nd out of 196 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tanzania 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.