Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in China
China: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female was 10.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in China, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in China stood at 10.4%. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.2% on the previous year and up 55.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in China peaked at 10.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.0%, in 2000.
China ranks 24th of 163 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.0% | — |
| 2001 | 6.0% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6.0% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6.0% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6.0% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6.0% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6.0% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6.0% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6.1% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 6.1% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6.2% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 6.3% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 6.4% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 6.5% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 6.7% | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 6.9% | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 7.1% | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 7.3% | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 7.6% | +4.1% |
| 2019 | 7.9% | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 8.3% | +5.1% |
| 2021 | 8.7% | +4.8% |
| 2022 | 9.2% | +5.7% |
| 2023 | 9.7% | +5.4% |
| 2024 | 10.4% | +7.2% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 10.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7.0%, 1.5× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- China's 10.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 5.1%, 2.0× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.0% | 6.0% | 6.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.9% | 6.2% | 7.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.3% | 8.3% | 10.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
More health data for China
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.15 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.0985 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,029 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,642 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 10 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -8.22 % 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 0.0159 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -8.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in China?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in China was 10.4% in 2024, according to Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
- What is the highest prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 10.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.0% in 2000.
- How does China rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female?
- China ranks 24th out of 163 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 55.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), published as part of Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female (modeled estimate, % of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Prevalence of overweight, female, is the percentage of girls under age 5 whose weight for height is more than two standard deviations above the median for the international reference population of the corresponding age as established by the WHO's 2006 Child Growth Standards.