Obesity in adults — all countries

Obesity in adults — Latin America & Caribbean

Obesity in adults in Latin America & Caribbean in 2024 — 31.4%. Since 1980, the indicator has risen by 24.5 pp.

2024 31.4% +0.8 pp vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 31.4%2024
Period minimum 6.9%1980

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Obesity in adults — Latin America & Caribbean, 1980–202401020304019801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 6.9%1981: 7.2%1982: 7.5%1983: 7.8%1984: 8.2%1985: 8.5%1986: 8.9%1987: 9.2%1988: 9.6%1989: 10%1990: 10.4%1991: 10.9%1992: 11.3%1993: 11.8%1994: 12.3%1995: 12.8%1996: 13.3%1997: 13.8%1998: 14.3%1999: 14.8%2000: 15.4%2001: 15.9%2002: 16.4%2003: 17%2004: 17.5%2005: 18.1%2006: 18.6%2007: 19.2%2008: 19.8%2009: 20.4%2010: 21.1%2011: 21.8%2012: 22.5%2013: 23.2%2014: 23.9%2015: 24.6%2016: 25.4%2017: 26.1%2018: 26.8%2019: 27.6%2020: 28.3%2021: 29.1%2022: 29.8%2023: 30.6%2024: 31.4%
Change over the period: +24.5 pp Annual average: 0.56 pp

Comparison, 2024

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Latin America & Caribbean

Latin America & Caribbean 31.4%
World computed 16.1%
Obesity in adults — Latin America & Caribbean, by year Latin America & Caribbean All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 31.4 +0.8 pp
2023 30.6 +0.8 pp
2022 29.8 +0.8 pp
2021 29.1 +0.8 pp
2020 28.3 +0.7 pp
2019 27.6 +0.7 pp
2018 26.8 +0.7 pp
2017 26.1 +0.7 pp
2016 25.4 +0.7 pp
2015 24.6 +0.7 pp
2014 23.9 +0.7 pp
2013 23.2 +0.7 pp
2012 22.5 +0.7 pp
2011 21.8 +0.7 pp
2010 21.1 +0.7 pp
2009 20.4 +0.6 pp
2008 19.8 +0.6 pp
2007 19.2 +0.6 pp
2006 18.6 +0.6 pp
2005 18.1 +0.6 pp
2004 17.5 +0.5 pp
2003 17 +0.5 pp
2002 16.4 +0.5 pp
2001 15.9 +0.5 pp
2000 15.4 +0.5 pp
1999 14.8 +0.5 pp
1998 14.3 +0.5 pp
1997 13.8 +0.5 pp
1996 13.3 +0.5 pp
1995 12.8 +0.5 pp
1994 12.3 +0.5 pp
1993 11.8 +0.5 pp
1992 11.3 +0.4 pp
1991 10.9 +0.4 pp
1990 10.4 +0.4 pp
1989 10 +0.4 pp
1988 9.6 +0.4 pp
1987 9.2 +0.4 pp
1986 8.9 +0.4 pp
1985 8.5 +0.3 pp
1984 8.2 +0.3 pp
1983 7.8 +0.3 pp
1982 7.5 +0.3 pp
1981 7.2 +0.3 pp
1980 6.9

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.