Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height was 3.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Least developed countries, 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 Least developed countries is 3.3%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 8.5% on the previous year and up 16.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Least developed countries peaked at 3.8% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 2018.
That places Least developed countries 42nd out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.7% | — |
| 2001 | 3.8% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 3.8% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 3.8% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 3.8% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 3.8% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 3.7% | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 3.6% | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 3.5% | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 3.4% | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 3.3% | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 3.2% | -3.9% |
| 2012 | 3.0% | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 3.0% | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 2.9% | -3.4% |
| 2015 | 2.8% | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 2.7% | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 2.7% | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 2.6% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 2.7% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 2.7% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 2.8% | +3.5% |
| 2022 | 2.9% | +3.9% |
| 2023 | 3.1% | +5.7% |
| 2024 | 3.3% | +8.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.7% | 3.4% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.9% | 2.6% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.0% | 2.7% | 3.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
- 40 United States of America 9.7% compare
- 41 Brunei Darussalam 9.5% compare
- 41 Russian Federation 9.5% compare
- 41 Tonga 9.5% compare
- 44 Portugal 9.4% compare
- 44 Samoa 9.4% compare
More health data for Least developed countries
- Population ages 35-39, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 3.29 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0255 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 3.94 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0286 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 2.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.03 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, annual growth rate 3.32 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Least developed countries?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Least developed countries was 3.3% 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 Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 3.8% in 2003.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 2018.
- How does Least developed countries rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height?
- Least developed countries ranks 42nd out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Least developed countries 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.