Share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese in Malaysia
Malaysia: Share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese was 8.6% in 2014. ▼ Falling
Share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese in Malaysia, 1975–2014
Source: NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2014, share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese in Malaysia stood at 8.6%. That is the lowest value across all 40 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 20.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese in Malaysia peaked at 21.5% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 8.6%, in 2014.
That places Malaysia 52nd out of 198 countries with data for 2014, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 40 years of available data.
Share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 21.5% | — |
| 1976 | 21.1% | -1.9% |
| 1977 | 20.8% | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 20.4% | -1.9% |
| 1979 | 20.0% | -2.0% |
| 1980 | 19.6% | -2.0% |
| 1981 | 19.2% | -2.0% |
| 1982 | 18.8% | -2.1% |
| 1983 | 18.4% | -2.1% |
| 1984 | 18.0% | -2.2% |
| 1985 | 17.5% | -2.8% |
| 1986 | 17.1% | -2.3% |
| 1987 | 16.7% | -2.3% |
| 1988 | 16.3% | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 15.9% | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 15.5% | -2.5% |
| 1991 | 15.1% | -2.6% |
| 1992 | 14.7% | -2.6% |
| 1993 | 14.3% | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 14.0% | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 13.6% | -2.9% |
| 1996 | 13.2% | -2.9% |
| 1997 | 12.9% | -2.3% |
| 1998 | 12.6% | -2.3% |
| 1999 | 12.3% | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 11.9% | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 11.7% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 11.4% | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 11.1% | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 10.8% | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 10.6% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 10.3% | -2.8% |
| 2007 | 10.1% | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 9.9% | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 9.6% | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 9.4% | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 9.2% | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 9.0% | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 8.8% | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 8.6% | -2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 20.8% | 20.0% | 21.5% | 5 |
| 1980s | 17.8% | 15.9% | 19.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.8% | 12.3% | 15.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.7% | 9.6% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.0% | 8.6% | 9.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More health data for Malaysia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.9119 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.2888 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,250 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 652 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 18 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.7207 % 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 0.0297 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.5991 % 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 share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese in Malaysia?
- Share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese in Malaysia was 8.6% in 2014, according to NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 21.5% in 1975.
- What is the lowest share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.6% in 2014.
- How does Malaysia rank for share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese?
- Malaysia ranks 52nd out of 198 countries with data for 2014.
- Is share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of women (% of adult population), who are underweight, healthy/normal, overweight or obese based on body mass index (BMI). Body Mass Index (BMI) is a person's weight divided by their height squared. The WHO define a BMI <=18.5 as underweight; 18.6 to 25.0 as normal/healthy; 25.1 to 30 as overweight; and >30.0 as obese.