Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Mexico
Mexico: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height was 7.1% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Mexico, 1988–2022
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 Mexico is 7.1%, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 21.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Mexico peaked at 11.0% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 5.2%, in 2015.
That places Mexico 32nd out of 93 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Mexico, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 6.0% | — |
| 1989 | 11.0% | +83.3% |
| 1998 | 7.5% | -31.8% |
| 2002 | 7.3% | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 6.8% | -6.8% |
| 2006 | 7.5% | +10.3% |
| 2012 | 9.0% | +20.0% |
| 2015 | 5.2% | -42.2% |
| 2016 | 5.3% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 6.3% | +18.9% |
| 2020 | 8.1% | +28.6% |
| 2021 | 7.2% | -11.1% |
| 2022 | 7.1% | -1.4% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 7.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7.6%, 93% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 7.1% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 7.1%, 1.0× the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.5% | 6.0% | 11.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 7.5% | 7.5% | 7.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 7.2% | 6.8% | 7.5% | 3 |
| 2010s | 6.5% | 5.2% | 9.0% | 4 |
| 2020s | 7.5% | 7.1% | 8.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
- 29 Dominican Republic 7.7% compare
- 29 Lesotho 7.7% compare
- 31 Peru 7.5% compare
- 33 Guyana 6.5% compare
- 33 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 6.5% compare
- 35 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 6.4% compare
More health data for Mexico
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6599 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,312 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 2,760 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.9607 % 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 0.0377 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.9678 % 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 Mexico?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Mexico was 7.1% in 2022, 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 Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 11.0% in 1989.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.2% in 2015.
- How does Mexico rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height?
- Mexico ranks 32nd out of 93 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mexico 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.