Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Uganda
Uganda: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height was 3.4% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Uganda, 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 Uganda is 3.4%, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of up 17.2% on the previous year and down 41.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Uganda peaked at 5.8% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 2020.
That places Uganda 63rd 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 Uganda, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 3.6% | — |
| 1995 | 5.2% | +44.4% |
| 2000 | 4.9% | -5.8% |
| 2006 | 4.9% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 3.2% | -34.7% |
| 2011 | 3.8% | +18.7% |
| 2012 | 5.8% | +52.6% |
| 2014 | 3.6% | -37.9% |
| 2015 | 4.0% | +11.1% |
| 2016 | 3.7% | -7.5% |
| 2018 | 3.9% | +5.4% |
| 2020 | 2.9% | -25.6% |
| 2022 | 3.4% | +17.2% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 3.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.2%, 1.5× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 3.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.9%, 1.2× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.6% | 3.6% | 3.6% | 1 |
| 1990s | 5.2% | 5.2% | 5.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 4.3% | 3.2% | 4.9% | 3 |
| 2010s | 4.1% | 3.6% | 5.8% | 6 |
| 2020s | 3.1% | 2.9% | 3.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
- 60 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 3.8% compare
- 61 Tanzania, United Republic of 3.7% compare
- 62 India 3.5% compare
- 63 Côte d'Ivoire 3.4% compare
- 63 Kenya 3.4% compare
- 66 Guinea 3.3% compare
More health data for Uganda
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.34 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 853.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 6,666 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 111 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0787 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.34 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Uganda?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Uganda was 3.4% 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 Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 5.8% in 2012.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 2020.
- How does Uganda rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height?
- Uganda ranks 63rd out of 93 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Uganda 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.