Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in India
India: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height was 3.5% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in India, 1992–2020
Source: UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'. Measured in % of children under 5.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of overweight, weight for height in India is 3.5%, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 118.8% on the previous year and up 84.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in India peaked at 5.9% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 2017.
That places India 62nd out of 93 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in India, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 3.2% | — |
| 1997 | 5.9% | +84.4% |
| 1999 | 3.6% | -39.0% |
| 2006 | 1.9% | -47.2% |
| 2015 | 2.4% | +26.3% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | -33.3% |
| 2020 | 3.5% | +118.7% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 3.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 88% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
- India's 3.5% is above the median for South Asia, which is 1.6%, 2.2× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.2% | 3.2% | 5.9% | 3 |
| 2000s | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1 |
| 2010s | 2.0% | 1.6% | 2.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near India
- 60 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 3.8% compare
- 61 Tanzania, United Republic of 3.7% compare
- 63 Côte d'Ivoire 3.4% compare
- 63 Kenya 3.4% compare
- 63 Uganda 3.4% compare
More health data for India
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.12 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4372 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,332 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 44,822 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.3809 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0372 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.5922 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight, weight for height in India?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in India was 3.5% in 2020, according to UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'.
- What is the highest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 5.9% in 1997.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 2017.
- How does India rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height?
- India ranks 62nd out of 93 countries with data for 2020.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 84.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children', published as part of Prevalence of overweight, weight for height (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.