Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Malawi
Malawi: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height was 4.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Malawi, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Malawi stood at 4.4%.
The figure is up 12.8% on the previous year and up 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Malawi peaked at 12.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 2019.
That places Malawi 107th 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 Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 12.0% | — |
| 2001 | 11.8% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 11.4% | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 10.9% | -4.4% |
| 2004 | 10.3% | -5.5% |
| 2005 | 9.6% | -6.8% |
| 2006 | 8.8% | -8.3% |
| 2007 | 8.0% | -9.1% |
| 2008 | 7.3% | -8.8% |
| 2009 | 6.6% | -9.6% |
| 2010 | 5.9% | -10.6% |
| 2011 | 5.3% | -10.2% |
| 2012 | 4.8% | -9.4% |
| 2013 | 4.4% | -8.3% |
| 2014 | 4.0% | -9.1% |
| 2015 | 3.7% | -7.5% |
| 2016 | 3.5% | -5.4% |
| 2017 | 3.3% | -5.7% |
| 2018 | 3.2% | -3.0% |
| 2019 | 3.1% | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 3.1% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 3.3% | +6.5% |
| 2022 | 3.5% | +6.1% |
| 2023 | 3.9% | +11.4% |
| 2024 | 4.4% | +12.8% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 4.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 3.3%, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 4.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.2%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.7% | 6.6% | 12.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.1% | 3.1% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.6% | 3.1% | 4.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 106 Lebanon 4.5% compare
- 107 Afghanistan 4.4% compare
- 107 Guinea 4.4% compare
- 107 Mozambique 4.4% compare
More health data for Malawi
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8368 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9312 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 856.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 6,399 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0714 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Malawi?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Malawi was 4.4% 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 12.0% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 2019.
- How does Malawi rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height?
- Malawi ranks 107th out of 163 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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.