Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Jamaica
Jamaica: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height was 5.7% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Jamaica, 1989–2018
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
Jamaica recorded 5.7% for prevalence of overweight, weight for height in 2018.
That represents a change of down 16.2% on the previous year and down 26.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Jamaica peaked at 8.7% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 2.3%, in 1991.
Jamaica ranks 37th of 93 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 3.7% | — |
| 1991 | 2.3% | -37.8% |
| 1992 | 3.1% | +34.8% |
| 1993 | 4.6% | +48.4% |
| 1994 | 6.2% | +34.8% |
| 1995 | 5.9% | -4.8% |
| 1996 | 3.8% | -35.6% |
| 1997 | 5.5% | +44.7% |
| 1998 | 4.3% | -21.8% |
| 1999 | 6.3% | +46.5% |
| 2000 | 7.3% | +15.9% |
| 2001 | 5.8% | -20.5% |
| 2002 | 8.5% | +46.6% |
| 2004 | 7.5% | -11.8% |
| 2006 | 6.1% | -18.7% |
| 2007 | 8.7% | +42.6% |
| 2008 | 7.8% | -10.3% |
| 2010 | 4.1% | -47.4% |
| 2012 | 7.8% | +90.2% |
| 2014 | 8.3% | +6.4% |
| 2016 | 6.8% | -18.1% |
| 2018 | 5.7% | -16.2% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 5.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7.6%, 75% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 5.7% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 7.1%, 80% of the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.7% | 1 |
| 1990s | 4.7% | 2.3% | 6.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 7.4% | 5.8% | 8.7% | 7 |
| 2010s | 6.5% | 4.1% | 8.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More health data for Jamaica
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -3.12 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.3325 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,308 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 31 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -1.64 % 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 0.0278 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -1.6 % 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 Jamaica?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Jamaica was 5.7% in 2018, 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 Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 8.7% in 2007.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.3% in 1991.
- How does Jamaica rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height?
- Jamaica ranks 37th out of 93 countries with data for 2018.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Jamaica 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.
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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.