Prevalence of overweight (% of adults) in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Prevalence of overweight (% of adults) was 34.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight in Zimbabwe, 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 Zimbabwe is 34.5%, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 17.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight in Zimbabwe peaked at 34.5% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 21.4%, in 1990.
That places Zimbabwe 157th 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 (% of adults) in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % of adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 21.4% | — |
| 1991 | 21.6% | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 21.8% | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 22.0% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 22.2% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 22.4% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 22.7% | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 23.0% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 23.4% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 23.7% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 24.1% | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 24.5% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 24.9% | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 25.3% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 25.7% | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 26.2% | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 26.6% | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 27.1% | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 27.5% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 27.9% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 28.4% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 28.9% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 29.3% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 29.8% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 30.2% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 30.7% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 31.2% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 31.7% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 32.2% | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 32.8% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 33.3% | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 33.9% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 34.5% | +1.7% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 34.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 39.5%, 87% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 34.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 32.8%, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.4% | 21.4% | 23.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.0% | 24.1% | 27.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.5% | 28.4% | 32.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.9% | 33.3% | 34.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More health data for Zimbabwe
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.39 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.11 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 4,457 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.9632 % 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 0.0689 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9673 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0701 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight in Zimbabwe?
- Prevalence of overweight in Zimbabwe was 34.5% 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 34.5% in 2022.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.4% in 1990.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for prevalence of overweight?
- Zimbabwe ranks 157th out of 196 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.