Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Morocco

Morocco: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height was 12.7% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
12.7%
Change on year
up 16.5%
World rank
6th
of 93 countries
All-time high
13.7%
in 1997
All-time low
5.6%
in 1987
Years of data
7
1987–2019

Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Morocco, 1987–2019

0510151987200320191987: 5.6 % of children under 51992: 10.8 % of children under 51997: 13.7 % of children under 52003: 13.4 % of children under 52011: 10.8 % of children under 52017: 10.9 % of children under 52019: 12.7 % of children under 5

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

In 2019, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Morocco stood at 12.7%.

The figure is up 16.5% on the previous year and up 17.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Morocco peaked at 13.7% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 5.6%, in 1987.

Morocco ranks 6th of 93 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Morocco, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of overweight, weight for height (% of children under 5) in Morocco, 1987 to 2019.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1987 5.6%
1992 10.8% +92.9%
1997 13.7% +26.9%
2003 13.4% -2.2%
2011 10.8% -19.4%
2017 10.9% +0.9%
2019 12.7% +16.5%

Morocco compared with similar countries

  • Morocco's 12.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 3.2× the median. (36 countries reporting)
  • Morocco's 12.7% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 8.6%, 1.5× the median. (13 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 5.6% 5.6% 5.6% 1
1990s 12.2% 10.8% 13.7% 2
2000s 13.4% 13.4% 13.4% 1
2010s 11.5% 10.8% 12.7% 3

Countries ranked near Morocco

  1. 3 Armenia 13.7% compare
  2. 4 Algeria 12.8% compare
  3. 4 Mongolia 12.8% compare
  4. 7 Paraguay 12.4% compare
  5. 8 South Africa 11.8% compare
  6. 9 Saudi Arabia 11.6% compare

See the full ranking of 93 places →

More health data for Morocco

All data for Morocco →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Morocco?
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Morocco was 12.7% in 2019, 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 Morocco?
The highest recorded value was 13.7% in 1997.
What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in Morocco?
The lowest recorded value was 5.6% in 1987.
How does Morocco rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height?
Morocco ranks 6th out of 93 countries with data for 2019.
Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height rising or falling in Morocco?
Over the last ten years it is up 17.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Morocco 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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Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Morocco. Statizoid, drawing on 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'. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-overweight-weight-for-height-percent-of-children-under-5/morocco/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height (% of children under 5)
Unit
% of children under 5
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'
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
93 places, 858 data points, 1984–2024
Last refreshed

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.