Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male in El Salvador

El Salvador: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male was 8.3% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
8.3%
World rank
21st
of 85 countries
All-time high
8.3%
in 2021
All-time low
3.5%
in 1993
Years of data
7
1988–2021

Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male in El Salvador, 1988–2021

024681988200420211988: 3.8 % of children under 51993: 3.5 % of children under 51998: 4.6 % of children under 52003: 6.6 % of children under 52008: 6.3 % of children under 52014: 6.2 % of children under 52021: 8.3 % 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

El Salvador recorded 8.3% for prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male in 2021. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.

The figure is up 31.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male in El Salvador peaked at 8.3% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3.5%, in 1993.

That places El Salvador 21st out of 85 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.

Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male in El Salvador, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male (% of children under 5) in El Salvador, 1988 to 2021.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1988 3.8%
1993 3.5% -7.9%
1998 4.6% +31.4%
2003 6.6% +43.5%
2008 6.3% -4.5%
2014 6.2% -1.6%
2021 8.3% +33.9%

El Salvador compared with similar countries

  • El Salvador's 8.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7.2%, 1.2× the median. (24 countries reporting)
  • El Salvador's 8.3% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 6.9%, 1.2× the median. (15 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 3.8% 3.8% 3.8% 1
1990s 4.0% 3.5% 4.6% 2
2000s 6.4% 6.3% 6.6% 2
2010s 6.2% 6.2% 6.2% 1
2020s 8.3% 8.3% 8.3% 1

Countries ranked near El Salvador

  1. 18 Kyrgyzstan 9.2% compare
  2. 19 Kazakhstan 8.7% compare
  3. 20 Nicaragua 8.6% compare
  4. 22 Dominican Republic 8.2% compare
  5. 23 Peru 8.1% compare
  6. 24 Lesotho 8.0% compare

See the full ranking of 85 places →

More health data for El Salvador

All data for El Salvador →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male in El Salvador?
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male in El Salvador was 8.3% in 2021, 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, male recorded in El Salvador?
The highest recorded value was 8.3% in 2021.
What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male recorded in El Salvador?
The lowest recorded value was 3.5% in 1993.
How does El Salvador rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male?
El Salvador ranks 21st out of 85 countries with data for 2021.
Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male rising or falling in El Salvador?
Over the last ten years it is up 31.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this El Salvador 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, male (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male in El Salvador. 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 18 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-overweight-weight-for-height-male-percent-of-children-under-5/el-salvador/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male (% 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, male, is the percentage of boys 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.