Prevalence of overweight in Zambia
Zambia: Prevalence of overweight was 29.9% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight in Zambia, 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 Zambia stood at 29.9%. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 36.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight in Zambia peaked at 29.9% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 11.1%, in 1990.
That places Zambia 170th out of 196 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 11.1% | — |
| 1991 | 11.4% | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 11.7% | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 12.0% | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 12.4% | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 12.7% | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 13.1% | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 13.5% | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 13.9% | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 14.3% | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 14.8% | +3.3% |
| 2001 | 15.3% | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 15.8% | +3.5% |
| 2003 | 16.4% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 17.0% | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 17.6% | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 18.2% | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 18.8% | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 19.4% | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 20.0% | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 20.7% | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 21.3% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 22.0% | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 22.7% | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 23.4% | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 24.1% | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 24.9% | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 25.7% | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 26.5% | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 27.3% | +3.1% |
| 2020 | 28.1% | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 29.0% | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 29.9% | +3.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.6% | 11.1% | 14.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.3% | 14.8% | 20.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.8% | 20.7% | 27.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.0% | 28.1% | 29.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More health data for Zambia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.09 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7971 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 809.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 8,894 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.68 % 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 0.0743 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.69 % 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 Zambia?
- Prevalence of overweight in Zambia was 29.9% 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 29.9% in 2022.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.1% in 1990.
- How does Zambia rank for prevalence of overweight?
- Zambia ranks 170th out of 196 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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.