Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in Mexico

Mexico: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female was 7.3% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
7.3%
Change on year
down 5.2%
World rank
21st
of 85 countries
All-time high
9.0%
in 2012
All-time low
5.3%
in 2015
Years of data
12
1988–2022

Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in Mexico, 1988–2022

02468101988200520221988: 5.5 % of children under 51998: 7.4 % of children under 52002: 5.5 % of children under 52005: 6.7 % of children under 52006: 6.6 % of children under 52012: 9 % of children under 52015: 5.3 % of children under 52016: 5.3 % of children under 52019: 6.2 % of children under 52020: 6.4 % of children under 52021: 7.7 % of children under 52022: 7.3 % of children under 5

Source: UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'. Measured in % of children under 5.

Analysis

The most recent figure for prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in Mexico is 7.3%, measured in 2022.

The figure is down 5.2% on the previous year and down 18.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in Mexico peaked at 9.0% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 5.3%, in 2015.

Mexico ranks 21st of 85 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.

Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in Mexico, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female (% of children under 5) in Mexico, 1988 to 2022.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1988 5.5%
1998 7.4% +34.5%
2002 5.5% -25.7%
2005 6.7% +21.8%
2006 6.6% -1.5%
2012 9.0% +36.4%
2015 5.3% -41.1%
2016 5.3% +0.0%
2019 6.2% +17.0%
2020 6.4% +3.2%
2021 7.7% +20.3%
2022 7.3% -5.2%

Mexico compared with similar countries

  • Mexico's 7.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 6.2%, 1.2× the median. (24 countries reporting)
  • Mexico's 7.3% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 7.0%, 1.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 5.5% 5.5% 5.5% 1
1990s 7.4% 7.4% 7.4% 1
2000s 6.3% 5.5% 6.7% 3
2010s 6.5% 5.3% 9.0% 4
2020s 7.1% 6.4% 7.7% 3

Countries ranked near Mexico

  1. 18 El Salvador 8.4% compare
  2. 18 Kyrgyzstan 8.4% compare
  3. 20 Nicaragua 7.9% compare
  4. 21 Lesotho 7.3% compare
  5. 23 Dominican Republic 7.1% compare
  6. 24 Guyana 7.0% compare

See the full ranking of 85 places →

More health data for Mexico

All data for Mexico →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in Mexico?
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in Mexico was 7.3% in 2022, according to UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'.
What is the highest prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female recorded in Mexico?
The highest recorded value was 9.0% in 2012.
What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female recorded in Mexico?
The lowest recorded value was 5.3% in 2015.
How does Mexico rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female?
Mexico ranks 21st out of 85 countries with data for 2022.
Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female rising or falling in Mexico?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Mexico data come from?
The figures come from UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children', published as part of Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in Mexico. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-overweight-weight-for-height-female-percent-of-children-under-5/mexico/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female (% of children under 5)
Unit
% of children under 5
Source
UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
85 places, 718 data points, 1986–2024
Last refreshed

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.