Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Uruguay

Uruguay: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height was 11.4% in 2018. ▬ Flat

Latest (2018)
11.4%
Change on year
up 9.6%
World rank
10th
of 93 countries
All-time high
12.2%
in 2003
All-time low
7.7%
in 2011
Years of data
9
1999–2018

Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Uruguay, 1999–2018

02.557.51012.51999200820181999: 10.5 % of children under 52002: 10 % of children under 52003: 12.2 % of children under 52004: 9.4 % of children under 52007: 8.4 % of children under 52011: 7.7 % of children under 52013: 10.1 % of children under 52016: 10.4 % of children under 52018: 11.4 % 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 2018, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Uruguay stood at 11.4%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.6% on the previous year and up 35.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Uruguay peaked at 12.2% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 7.7%, in 2011.

That places Uruguay 10th out of 93 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Annual values for Prevalence of overweight, weight for height (% of children under 5) in Uruguay, 1999 to 2018.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1999 10.5%
2002 10.0% -4.8%
2003 12.2% +22.0%
2004 9.4% -23.0%
2007 8.4% -10.6%
2011 7.7% -8.3%
2013 10.1% +31.2%
2016 10.4% +3.0%
2018 11.4% +9.6%

Uruguay compared with similar countries

  • Uruguay's 11.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 8.2%, 1.4× the median. (12 countries reporting)
  • Uruguay's 11.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 7.1%, 1.6× the median. (17 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 10.5% 10.5% 10.5% 1
2000s 10.0% 8.4% 12.2% 4
2010s 9.9% 7.7% 11.4% 4

Countries ranked near Uruguay

  1. 7 Paraguay 12.4% compare
  2. 8 South Africa 11.8% compare
  3. 9 Saudi Arabia 11.6% compare
  4. 11 Cameroon 11.0% compare
  5. 12 Thailand 10.9% compare
  6. 13 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 10.1% compare
  7. 13 Egypt 10.1% compare

See the full ranking of 93 places →

More health data for Uruguay

All data for Uruguay →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Uruguay?
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Uruguay was 11.4% in 2018, 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 Uruguay?
The highest recorded value was 12.2% in 2003.
What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in Uruguay?
The lowest recorded value was 7.7% in 2011.
How does Uruguay rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height?
Uruguay ranks 10th out of 93 countries with data for 2018.
Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height rising or falling in Uruguay?
Over the last ten years it is up 35.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Uruguay 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 Uruguay. 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/uruguay/

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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.