Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Kuwait
Kuwait: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height was 8.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Kuwait, 1996–2023
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 Kuwait is 8.1%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and up 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Kuwait peaked at 12.2% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 6.6%, in 2002.
Kuwait ranks 27th of 93 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 8.9% | — |
| 2001 | 11.1% | +24.7% |
| 2002 | 6.6% | -40.5% |
| 2003 | 6.8% | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 7.1% | +4.4% |
| 2005 | 7.5% | +5.6% |
| 2006 | 9.2% | +22.7% |
| 2007 | 8.5% | -7.6% |
| 2008 | 9.4% | +10.6% |
| 2009 | 9.0% | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 7.8% | -13.3% |
| 2011 | 8.3% | +6.4% |
| 2012 | 9.5% | +14.5% |
| 2013 | 7.4% | -22.1% |
| 2014 | 8.8% | +18.9% |
| 2015 | 7.5% | -14.8% |
| 2016 | 9.3% | +24.0% |
| 2017 | 9.1% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 12.2% | +34.1% |
| 2019 | 9.9% | -18.9% |
| 2020 | 11.7% | +18.2% |
| 2021 | 12.1% | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 8.2% | -32.2% |
| 2023 | 8.1% | -1.2% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 8.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 8.2%, 99% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 8.1% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 8.6%, 94% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.9% | 8.9% | 8.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 8.4% | 6.6% | 11.1% | 9 |
| 2010s | 9.0% | 7.4% | 12.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.0% | 8.1% | 12.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
More health data for Kuwait
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.9259 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.41 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 287.2 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 107 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.9273 % 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 0.0264 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.6875 % 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 Kuwait?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Kuwait was 8.1% in 2023, 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 Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 12.2% in 2018.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.6% in 2002.
- How does Kuwait rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height?
- Kuwait ranks 27th out of 93 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kuwait 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.