Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Arab World
Arab World: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height was 7.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Arab World, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Arab World stood at 7.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and down 21.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Arab World peaked at 10.8% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 7.2%, in 2023.
That places Arab World 17th 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 Arab World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 9.1% | — |
| 2001 | 9.5% | +4.0% |
| 2002 | 9.8% | +4.2% |
| 2003 | 10.2% | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 10.5% | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 10.7% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 10.8% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 10.8% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 10.7% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 10.6% | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 10.4% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 10.2% | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 9.9% | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 9.6% | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 9.3% | -3.5% |
| 2015 | 8.9% | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 8.6% | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 8.3% | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 8.0% | -3.3% |
| 2019 | 7.7% | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 7.5% | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 7.3% | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 7.2% | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 7.2% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 7.3% | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10.3% | 9.1% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.1% | 7.7% | 10.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.3% | 7.2% | 7.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Arab World
- 14 Barbados 13.0% compare
- 14 Bosnia and Herzegovina 13.0% compare
- 16 Armenia 12.9% compare
- 17 South Africa 12.8% compare
- 18 Mongolia 12.3% compare
- 18 North Macedonia 12.3% compare
- 20 Serbia 12.2% compare
More health data for Arab World
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, annual growth rate 3.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per capita 0.0342 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, male, annual growth rate 0.0711 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 2.95 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0298 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0338 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Arab World?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Arab World was 7.3% 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 Arab World?
- The highest recorded value was 10.8% in 2006.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in Arab World?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.2% in 2023.
- How does Arab World rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height?
- Arab World ranks 17th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height rising or falling in Arab World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Arab World 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.