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Overweight in children

The share of children under five whose weight is above the norm for their height.

Unit: % of children under 5 Period: 1983–2024 Source: Global Health Observatory (WHO)
Source: WHO · About the indicator
Average: 6.6% Countries: 165

The ranking uses the latest available value for each country — the year is shown in the row. The table spans 1989 to 2024.

Overweight in children, 1989–2024

Top-20 · % of children under 5

Overweight in children, 1989–20240102030UkraineUkraine: 26.5%26.5AustraliaAustralia: 22%22Turks and Caicos IslandsTurks and Caicos Islands: 18.2%18.2SyriaSyria: 17.9%17.9Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina: 17.4%17.4TunisiaTunisia: 17.2%17.2RussiaRussia: 16.9%16.9AlbaniaAlbania: 16.4%16.4ArmeniaArmenia: 13.7%13.7Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea: 13.7%13.7GreeceGreece: 13.6%13.6AlgeriaAlgeria: 12.8%12.8MongoliaMongolia: 12.8%12.8MoroccoMorocco: 12.7%12.7ArgentinaArgentina: 12.4%12.4ParaguayParaguay: 12.4%12.4BarbadosBarbados: 12.2%12.2South AfricaSouth Africa: 11.8%11.8Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia: 11.6%11.6PanamaPanama: 11.5%11.5
Overweight in children — 1989–2024 Current breakdown Full series CSV XLSX JSON
# Year Subregion World rank
1 UA Ukraine 26.5 2000 165
2 AU Australia 22 2017 164
3 TC Turks and Caicos Islands 18.2 2020 163
4 SY Syria 17.9 2010 162
5 BA Bosnia and Herzegovina 17.4 2012 161
6 TN Tunisia 17.2 2018 160
7 RU Russia 16.9 2005 159
8 AL Albania 16.4 2017 158
9 AM Armenia 13.7 2016 156
10 PG Papua New Guinea 13.7 2010 156
11 GR Greece 13.6 2003 155
12 DZ Algeria 12.8 2019 153
13 MN Mongolia 12.8 2023 153
14 MA Morocco 12.7 2019 152
15 AR Argentina 12.4 2018 150
16 PY Paraguay 12.4 2016 150
17 BB Barbados 12.2 2012 149
18 ZA South Africa 11.8 2017 148
19 SA Saudi Arabia 11.6 2020 147
20 PA Panama 11.5 2019 146
21 TT Trinidad and Tobago 11.4 2011 144
22 UY Uruguay 11.4 2018 144
23 MK North Macedonia 11.2 2019 142
24 TO Tonga 11.2 2019 142
25 CM Cameroon 11 2018 141
26 RS Serbia 10.9 2019 139
27 TH Thailand 10.9 2022 139
28 IE Ireland 10.5 2011 138
29 CA Canada 10.4 2004 137
30 CU Cuba 10.3 2019 136
31 SC Seychelles 10.2 2012 135
32 BO Bolivia 10.1 2016 132
33 EG Egypt 10.1 2021 132
34 MT Malta 10.1 2022 132
35 BW Botswana 10 2007 130
36 QA Qatar 10 2023 130
37 SZ Eswatini 9.8 2021 129
38 GQ Equatorial Guinea 9.7 2011 128
39 BR Brazil 9.6 2019 127
40 US United States 9.5 2022 126
41 VN Vietnam 9.4 2023 125
42 CL Chile 9.3 2014 123
43 KZ Kazakhstan 9.3 2015 123
44 JO Jordan 9.2 2023 122
45 KG Kyrgyzstan 8.8 2023 121
46 WS Samoa 8.7 2019 120
47 PS Palestine 8.6 2020 119
48 CN China 8.5 2017 118
49 BN Brunei Darussalam 8.3 2009 114
50 SV El Salvador 8.3 2021 114
51 NI Nicaragua 8.3 2012 114
52 RO Romania 8.3 2002 114
53 NR Nauru 8.2 2023 113
54 KW Kuwait 8.1 2023 111
55 TR Türkiye 8.1 2018 111
56 DO Dominican Republic 7.7 2019 107
57 FJ Fiji 7.7 2021 107
58 LS Lesotho 7.7 2024 107
59 PL Poland 7.7 2018 107
60 BT Bhutan 7.6 2010 106
61 BH Bahrain 7.5 1989 103
62 CR Costa Rica 7.5 2018 103
63 PE Peru 7.5 2023 103
64 BZ Belize 7.3 2015 101
65 ME Montenegro 7.3 2018 101
66 MX Mexico 7.1 2022 99
67 PT Portugal 7.1 2016 99
68 BG Bulgaria 6.9 2014 98
69 GY Guyana 6.5 2019 94
70 LV Latvia 6.5 2021 94
71 MU Mauritius 6.5 1995 94
72 GB United Kingdom 6.5 2019 94
73 VE Venezuela 6.4 2009 93
74 LC Saint Lucia 6.3 2012 92
75 KR South Korea 6.2 2020 91
76 CV Cabo Verde 6.1 2018 89
77 IQ Iraq 6.1 2018 89
78 GE Georgia 6 2018 87
79 SS South Sudan 6 2010 87
80 CG Republic of the Congo 5.9 2014 86
81 CO Colombia 5.7 2016 84
82 JM Jamaica 5.7 2018 84
83 MY Malaysia 5.6 2022 82
84 RW Rwanda 5.6 2020 82
85 BE Belgium 5.4 2023 81
86 ZM Zambia 5.2 2018 80
87 EE Estonia 5 2014 78
88 GA Gabon 5 2020 78
89 GT Guatemala 4.9 2015 74
90 MV Maldives 4.9 2017 74
91 MD Moldova 4.9 2012 74
92 VU Vanuatu 4.9 2013 74
93 CZ Czechia 4.6 2001 71
94 LY Libya 4.6 2022 71
95 TJ Tajikistan 4.6 2023 71
96 AF Afghanistan 4.5 2022 65
97 EC Ecuador 4.5 2024 65
98 HN Honduras 4.5 2019 65
99 ST Sao Tome and Principe 4.5 2019 65
100 SB Solomon Islands 4.5 2015 65
101 UZ Uzbekistan 4.5 2021 65
102 LB Lebanon 4.4 2023 62
103 LR Liberia 4.4 2019 62
104 MW Malawi 4.4 2020 62
105 FI Finland 4.3 2023 59
106 ID Indonesia 4.3 2023 59
107 ZW Zimbabwe 4.3 2024 59
108 DJ Djibouti 4.2 2023 56
109 OM Oman 4.2 2017 56
110 TV Tuvalu 4.2 2019 56
111 KH Cambodia 4.1 2021 53
112 LT Lithuania 4.1 2021 53
113 MH Marshall Islands 4.1 2017 53
114 AZ Azerbaijan 4 2023 50
115 KM Comoros 4 2022 50
116 NA Namibia 4 2013 50
117 HT Haiti 3.9 2023 48
118 PH Philippines 3.9 2021 48
119 CD Democratic Republic of the Congo 3.8 2023 46
120 NL Netherlands 3.8 2009 46
121 TZ Tanzania 3.7 2022 45
122 IN India 3.5 2020 43
123 SR Suriname 3.5 2018 43
124 AO Angola 3.4 2015 39
125 CI Côte d'Ivoire 3.4 2021 39
126 KE Kenya 3.4 2022 39
127 UG Uganda 3.4 2022 39
128 GN Guinea 3.3 2022 38
129 MZ Mozambique 3.2 2022 37
130 TM Turkmenistan 3.1 2019 36
131 BY Belarus 3 2023 33
132 SO Somalia 3 2009 33
133 SD Sudan 3 2014 33
134 BJ Benin 2.9 2021 30
135 DE Germany 2.9 2016 30
136 IR Iran 2.9 2017 30
137 LA Laos 2.8 2023 28
138 SL Sierra Leone 2.8 2021 28
139 PK Pakistan 2.5 2018 26
140 SG Singapore 2.5 2000 26
141 ET Ethiopia 2.3 2019 24
142 KP North Korea 2.3 2017 24
143 TD Chad 2.2 2022 22
144 GW Guinea-Bissau 2.2 2019 22
145 ER Eritrea 2.1 2010 19
146 GM Gambia 2.1 2020 19
147 KI Kiribati 2.1 2018 19
148 GH Ghana 2 2022 18
149 MG Madagascar 1.9 2021 17
150 BD Bangladesh 1.6 2022 16
151 BF Burkina Faso 1.5 2021 10
152 BI Burundi 1.5 2020 10
153 CF Central African Republic 1.5 2019 10
154 NG Nigeria 1.5 2021 10
155 TG Togo 1.5 2017 10
156 YE Yemen 1.5 2022 10
157 JP Japan 1.4 2010 8
158 ML Mali 1.4 2024 8
159 NP Nepal 1.3 2022 6
160 TL Timor-Leste 1.3 2020 6
161 NE Niger 1.2 2022 5
162 SN Senegal 1.1 2023 4
163 MR Mauritania 1 2021 3
164 MM Myanmar 0.8 2018 2
165 LK Sri Lanka 0.5 2024 1
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Maximum 26.5%
Median 5.6%
Minimum 0.5%

About the indicator

The share of children under five whose weight exceeds the WHO norm for their height by more than two standard deviations. The indicator matters in that it grows at the same time as stunting in the very same countries: a diet of cheap calories produces both the one and the other, and this is the core of the notion of the double burden of malnutrition. Overweight in children used to be considered a problem of rich countries — now it is growing fastest in middle-income countries.

Important: The data come from sample surveys, the years are intermittent. The aggregate by group is weighted by the number of children aged 0–14.

Updates
annually
Unit of measurement
% of children under 5
Observation period
1983–2024
License
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
Dataset
Global Health Observatory

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