Overweight in children — all countries

Overweight in children — Zimbabwe

Overweight in children in Zimbabwe in 2024 — 4.3%. Ranked 3 in the world out of 5. Since 1988, the indicator has fallen by 1.1 pp.

2024 4.3% +1.8 pp vs 2019
World rank 3of 5
Period maximum 10.5%1999
Period minimum 2.5%2019

Trend over time

1988–2024 · % of children under 5

Overweight in children — Zimbabwe, 1988–202405101519881992199620002004200820122016202020241988: 5.4%1994: 7.4%1999: 10.5%2005: 8.8%2009: 3.5%2010: 5.8%2012: 4.9%2014: 3.6%2015: 5.6%2019: 2.5%2024: 4.3%
Change over the period: −1.1 pp Annual average: -0.03 pp
Overweight in children — Zimbabwe, by year Zimbabwe All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 4.3
2019 2.5
2015 5.6 +2 pp
2014 3.6
2012 4.9
2010 5.8 +2.3 pp
2009 3.5
2005 8.8
1999 10.5
1994 7.4
1988 5.4

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.

Source: Global Health Observatory (WHO), license CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.