Prevalence of overweight in World
World: Prevalence of overweight was 38.9% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight in World, 1975–2016
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/). Measured in % of adults.
Analysis
World recorded 38.9% for prevalence of overweight in 2016. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight in World peaked at 38.9% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 21.5%, in 1975.
That places World 28th out of 43 groups with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight in World, year by year
| Year | % of adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 21.5% | — |
| 1976 | 21.8% | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 22.1% | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 22.5% | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 22.8% | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 23.1% | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 23.4% | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 23.8% | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 24.1% | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 24.5% | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 24.9% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 25.2% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 25.6% | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 26.0% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 26.3% | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 26.7% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 27.1% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 27.5% | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 27.9% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 28.3% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 28.6% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 29.1% | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 29.5% | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 29.9% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 30.3% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 30.8% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 31.2% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 31.7% | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 32.1% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 32.6% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 33.1% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 33.6% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 34.1% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 34.6% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 35.2% | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 35.7% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 36.2% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 36.7% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 37.3% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 37.8% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 38.4% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 38.9% | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 22.1% | 21.5% | 22.8% | 5 |
| 1980s | 24.7% | 23.1% | 26.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 28.5% | 26.7% | 30.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.9% | 30.8% | 35.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.3% | 35.7% | 38.9% | 7 |
Countries ranked near World
- 25 Syrian Arab Republic 71.1% compare
- 26 Jordan 69.8% compare
- 27 Brunei Darussalam 69.6% compare
- 28 Paraguay 69.1% compare
- 29 Palestine, State of 68.8% compare
- 30 Bahrain 68.7% compare
- 31 Argentina 68.4% compare
More health data for World
- Population ages 05-09, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per capita 0.04 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, male, annual growth rate -1.06 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, male, per capita 0.0423 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, female, annual growth rate 0.4438 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, female, per capita 0.0405 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, male, annual growth rate 0.3355 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight in World?
- Prevalence of overweight in World was 38.9% in 2016, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).
- What is the highest prevalence of overweight recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 38.9% in 2016.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.5% in 1975.
- How does World rank for prevalence of overweight?
- World ranks 28th out of 43 groups with data for 2016.
- Is prevalence of overweight rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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 — 42 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.