Obesity in adults — all countries

Obesity in adults — China

Obesity in adults in China in 2024 — 9.3%. Ranked 23 in the world out of 199. Since 1980, the indicator has risen by 8.4 pp.

2024 9.3% +0.5 pp vs 2023
World rank 23of 199
Period maximum 9.3%2024
Period minimum 0.8%1980

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Obesity in adults — China, 1980–202402.557.51019801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 0.8%1981: 0.9%1982: 0.9%1983: 0.9%1984: 1%1985: 1%1986: 1.1%1987: 1.1%1988: 1.2%1989: 1.3%1990: 1.3%1991: 1.4%1992: 1.5%1993: 1.6%1994: 1.6%1995: 1.7%1996: 1.8%1997: 1.9%1998: 2%1999: 2.1%2000: 2.2%2001: 2.3%2002: 2.5%2003: 2.6%2004: 2.7%2005: 2.9%2006: 3.1%2007: 3.3%2008: 3.5%2009: 3.7%2010: 4%2011: 4.2%2012: 4.5%2013: 4.7%2014: 5.1%2015: 5.4%2016: 5.7%2017: 6.1%2018: 6.5%2019: 6.9%2020: 7.3%2021: 7.7%2022: 8.2%2023: 8.7%2024: 9.3%
Change over the period: +8.4 pp Annual average: 0.19 pp

Comparison, 2024

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: China

China 9.3%
World computed 16.1%
East Asia & Pacific computed 10%
Eastern Asia computed 9.1%
Obesity in adults — China, by year China All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 9.3 +0.5 pp
2023 8.7 +0.5 pp
2022 8.2 +0.5 pp
2021 7.7 +0.5 pp
2020 7.3 +0.4 pp
2019 6.9 +0.4 pp
2018 6.5 +0.4 pp
2017 6.1 +0.4 pp
2016 5.7 +0.3 pp
2015 5.4 +0.3 pp
2014 5.1 +0.3 pp
2013 4.7 +0.3 pp
2012 4.5 +0.3 pp
2011 4.2 +0.2 pp
2010 4 +0.2 pp
2009 3.7 +0.2 pp
2008 3.5 +0.2 pp
2007 3.3 +0.2 pp
2006 3.1 +0.2 pp
2005 2.9 +0.2 pp
2004 2.7 +0.1 pp
2003 2.6 +0.1 pp
2002 2.5 +0.1 pp
2001 2.3 +0.1 pp
2000 2.2 +0.1 pp
1999 2.1 +0.1 pp
1998 2 +0.1 pp
1997 1.9 +0.1 pp
1996 1.8 +0.1 pp
1995 1.7 +0.1 pp
1994 1.6 +0.1 pp
1993 1.6 +0.1 pp
1992 1.5 +0.1 pp
1991 1.4 +0.1 pp
1990 1.3 +0.1 pp
1989 1.3 +0.1 pp
1988 1.2 +0.1 pp
1987 1.1 +0.1 pp
1986 1.1 +0 pp
1985 1 +0 pp
1984 1 +0 pp
1983 0.9 +0 pp
1982 0.9 +0 pp
1981 0.9 +0 pp
1980 0.8

Eastern Asia, 2024

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

About the indicator

The share of people aged 18 and over with a body mass index of 30 kg/m² and above. The series has been kept since 1980 and shows one of the fastest changes in the health of populations in the whole history of observation: in most countries the share has grown two- to threefold. The top of the ranking is held not by rich countries, as one might expect, but by the islands of Oceania and the Persian Gulf, where the shift to purchased food happened within one generation.

Important: The aggregate by country group is weighted by the whole population rather than the adult one: the share of adults differs between countries by a factor of about 1.5, so young countries get a slightly larger weight than they should.

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