Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height was 8.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Latin America & Caribbean, 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 Latin America & Caribbean is 8.8%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 17.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 8.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.7%, in 2000.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 3rd out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.7% | — |
| 2001 | 6.8% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 6.8% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 6.9% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 6.9% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 7.0% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 7.0% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 7.0% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 7.1% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 7.2% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 7.2% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 7.3% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 7.3% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 7.4% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 7.5% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 7.6% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 7.7% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 7.7% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 7.8% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 8.0% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 8.1% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 8.2% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 8.4% | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 8.6% | +2.3% |
| 2024 | 8.8% | +2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.9% | 6.7% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.5% | 7.2% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.4% | 8.1% | 8.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
More health data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Population ages 05-09, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, annual growth rate 1.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per capita 0.033 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, annual growth rate 1.72 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per capita 0.0344 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0369 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Latin America & Caribbean was 8.8% 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 Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 8.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.7% in 2000.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 3rd out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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.