Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in South Africa
South Africa: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female was 12.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in South Africa, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in South Africa stood at 12.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in South Africa peaked at 12.5% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 10.6%, in 2000.
South Africa ranks 16th of 163 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 10.6% | — |
| 2001 | 10.7% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 10.9% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 11.0% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 11.1% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 11.2% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 11.3% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 11.5% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 11.7% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 11.8% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 12.0% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 12.2% | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 12.3% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 12.3% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 12.4% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 12.4% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 12.5% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 12.5% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 12.5% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 12.4% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 12.4% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 12.3% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 12.2% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 12.1% | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 12.0% | -0.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 12.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7.0%, 1.7× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 12.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.0%, 3.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.2% | 10.6% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.3% | 12.0% | 12.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.2% | 12.0% | 12.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,152 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3,333 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5504 % 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 0.045 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.0003 % 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 South Africa?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in South Africa was 12.0% 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 12.5% in 2016.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.6% in 2000.
- How does South Africa rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female?
- South Africa ranks 16th out of 163 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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.