Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height was 4.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Africa Eastern and Southern, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
Africa Eastern and Southern recorded 4.4% for prevalence of overweight, weight for height in 2024.
The figure is up 7.2% on the previous year and up 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 5.8% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 3.7%, in 2019.
That places Africa Eastern and Southern 31st out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 5.6% | — |
| 2001 | 5.7% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 5.8% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 5.8% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 5.8% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 5.7% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 5.6% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 5.4% | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 5.3% | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 5.1% | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 4.9% | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 4.7% | -4.1% |
| 2012 | 4.5% | -4.2% |
| 2013 | 4.4% | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 4.2% | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 4.1% | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 3.9% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 3.8% | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 3.7% | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 3.7% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 3.7% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 3.8% | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 3.9% | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 4.1% | +4.6% |
| 2024 | 4.4% | +7.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.6% | 5.1% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.2% | 3.7% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.0% | 3.7% | 4.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
More health data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- Population ages 45-49, male, annual growth rate 4.21 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, annual growth rate 3.21 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, female, per capita 0.0158 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, male, annual growth rate 1.71 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, female, annual growth rate 3.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per capita 0.0184 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Africa Eastern and Southern was 4.4% in 2024, according to Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
- What is the highest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 5.8% in 2003.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.7% in 2019.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 31st out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern 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 (modeled estimate, % of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Prevalence of overweight children is the percentage of children 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.