Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Peru
Peru: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height was 7.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Peru, 1991–2023
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 Peru is 7.5%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 16.7% on the previous year and down 11.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Peru peaked at 11.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 7.2%, in 2012.
Peru ranks 31st of 93 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Peru, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 9.3% | — |
| 1996 | 9.9% | +6.5% |
| 1997 | 8.6% | -13.1% |
| 1998 | 8.5% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 9.6% | +12.9% |
| 2000 | 11.8% | +22.9% |
| 2001 | 9.2% | -22.0% |
| 2005 | 9.1% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 10.0% | +9.9% |
| 2009 | 10.3% | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 8.0% | -22.3% |
| 2011 | 8.8% | +10.0% |
| 2012 | 7.2% | -18.2% |
| 2013 | 8.5% | +18.1% |
| 2014 | 8.8% | +3.5% |
| 2015 | 8.2% | -6.8% |
| 2016 | 7.7% | -6.1% |
| 2017 | 8.0% | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 8.6% | +7.5% |
| 2019 | 7.6% | -11.6% |
| 2020 | 10.6% | +39.5% |
| 2021 | 9.7% | -8.5% |
| 2022 | 9.0% | -7.2% |
| 2023 | 7.5% | -16.7% |
Peru compared with similar countries
- Peru's 7.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7.6%, 99% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Peru's 7.5% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 7.1%, 1.1× the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.2% | 8.5% | 9.9% | 5 |
| 2000s | 10.1% | 9.1% | 11.8% | 5 |
| 2010s | 8.1% | 7.2% | 8.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.2% | 7.5% | 10.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Peru
- 29 Dominican Republic 7.7% compare
- 29 Lesotho 7.7% compare
- 32 Mexico 7.1% compare
- 33 Guyana 6.5% compare
- 33 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 6.5% compare
More health data for Peru
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.88 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.5045 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,235 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 782 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.3081 % 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 0.038 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.302 % 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 Peru?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Peru was 7.5% 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 Peru?
- The highest recorded value was 11.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in Peru?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.2% in 2012.
- How does Peru rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height?
- Peru ranks 31st out of 93 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height rising or falling in Peru?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Peru 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.