Prevalence of overweight, weight for height (modeled estimate, %) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD): Prevalence of overweight, weight for height (modeled estimate, %) was 5.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) is 5.3%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 27.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) peaked at 8.8% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 5.3%, in 2024.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 26th out of 45 groups 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 (modeled estimate, %) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 7.7% | — |
| 2001 | 8.0% | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 8.2% | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 8.5% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 8.6% | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 8.8% | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 8.8% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 8.8% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 8.7% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 8.6% | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 8.4% | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 8.2% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 7.9% | -3.0% |
| 2013 | 7.7% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 7.4% | -3.8% |
| 2015 | 7.1% | -3.9% |
| 2016 | 6.8% | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 6.5% | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 6.3% | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 6.0% | -4.0% |
| 2020 | 5.8% | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 5.6% | -3.1% |
| 2022 | 5.5% | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 5.4% | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 5.3% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.5% | 7.7% | 8.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.2% | 6.0% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.5% | 5.3% | 5.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)
More health data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)
- Population ages 20-24, male, per capita 0.0434 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 25-29, male, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 25-29, female, per capita 0.038 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 25-29, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 25-29, female, annual growth rate 1.42 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0563 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, female, per capita 0.0416 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, male, annual growth rate 1.23 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.3905 % change on previous year (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- The highest recorded value was 8.8% in 2006.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.3% in 2024.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) ranks 26th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 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.