Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Congo
Congo: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height was 5.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Congo, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Congo is 5.3%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.4% on the previous year and up 17.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Congo peaked at 7.5% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 3.9%, in 2017.
That places Congo 88th out of 163 countries 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 Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 7.4% | — |
| 2001 | 7.4% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 7.4% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7.5% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 7.4% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 7.3% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 7.1% | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 6.8% | -4.2% |
| 2008 | 6.4% | -5.9% |
| 2009 | 6.1% | -4.7% |
| 2010 | 5.7% | -6.6% |
| 2011 | 5.4% | -5.3% |
| 2012 | 5.1% | -5.6% |
| 2013 | 4.8% | -5.9% |
| 2014 | 4.5% | -6.2% |
| 2015 | 4.3% | -4.4% |
| 2016 | 4.1% | -4.7% |
| 2017 | 3.9% | -4.9% |
| 2018 | 3.9% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3.9% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 4.0% | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 4.1% | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 4.4% | +7.3% |
| 2023 | 4.8% | +9.1% |
| 2024 | 5.3% | +10.4% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 5.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.7%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Congo's 5.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.2%, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.1% | 6.1% | 7.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.6% | 3.9% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.5% | 4.0% | 5.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Congo
- 86 Netherlands 5.4% compare
- 86 Sierra Leone 5.4% compare
- 88 Malaysia 5.3% compare
- 90 Jamaica 5.1% compare
- 90 Rwanda 5.1% compare
More health data for Congo
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.4813 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9705 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 759.5 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 2,688 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 11 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.44 % 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 0.0695 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.45 % 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 in Congo?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Congo was 5.3% 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 Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 7.5% in 2003.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.9% in 2017.
- How does Congo rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height?
- Congo ranks 88th out of 163 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Congo 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.