Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in East Asia & Pacific
East Asia & Pacific: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height was 7.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in East Asia & Pacific, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in East Asia & Pacific stood at 7.8%. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 17.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in East Asia & Pacific peaked at 7.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.1%, in 2000.
East Asia & Pacific ranks 13th of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in East Asia & Pacific, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 5.1% | — |
| 2001 | 5.2% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 5.2% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 5.3% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 5.4% | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 5.5% | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 5.5% | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 5.7% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 5.8% | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 5.9% | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 6.1% | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 6.2% | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 6.4% | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 6.5% | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 6.7% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 6.8% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 7.0% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 7.1% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 7.2% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 7.3% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 7.4% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 7.5% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 7.6% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 7.7% | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 7.8% | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.4% | 5.1% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.7% | 6.1% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.6% | 7.4% | 7.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific
More health data for East Asia & Pacific
- Population ages 35-39, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 1.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0351 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, annual growth rate 1.4 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0412 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 2.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0386 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, annual growth rate -4.35 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight, weight for height in East Asia & Pacific?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in East Asia & Pacific was 7.8% 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 East Asia & Pacific?
- The highest recorded value was 7.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.1% in 2000.
- How does East Asia & Pacific rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height?
- East Asia & Pacific ranks 13th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific 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.