Obesity in adults — all countries

Obesity in adults — Malaysia

Obesity in adults in Malaysia in 2024 — 23.3%. Ranked 107 in the world out of 199. Since 1980, the indicator has risen by 20.6 pp.

2024 23.3% +0.7 pp vs 2023
World rank 107of 199
Period maximum 23.3%2024
Period minimum 2.8%1980

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Obesity in adults — Malaysia, 1980–2024010203019801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 2.8%1981: 2.9%1982: 3.1%1983: 3.3%1984: 3.5%1985: 3.8%1986: 4%1987: 4.3%1988: 4.5%1989: 4.8%1990: 5.1%1991: 5.5%1992: 5.8%1993: 6.1%1994: 6.5%1995: 6.9%1996: 7.3%1997: 7.8%1998: 8.2%1999: 8.7%2000: 9.2%2001: 9.8%2002: 10.3%2003: 10.9%2004: 11.5%2005: 12%2006: 12.6%2007: 13.2%2008: 13.8%2009: 14.3%2010: 14.9%2011: 15.5%2012: 16%2013: 16.6%2014: 17.2%2015: 17.7%2016: 18.3%2017: 18.9%2018: 19.5%2019: 20.1%2020: 20.7%2021: 21.4%2022: 22%2023: 22.7%2024: 23.3%
Change over the period: +20.6 pp Annual average: 0.47 pp

Comparison, 2024

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

Malaysia 23.3%
World computed 16.1%
East Asia & Pacific computed 10%
South-Eastern Asia computed 10.7%
Obesity in adults — Malaysia, by year Malaysia All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 23.3 +0.7 pp
2023 22.7 +0.7 pp
2022 22 +0.6 pp
2021 21.4 +0.6 pp
2020 20.7 +0.6 pp
2019 20.1 +0.6 pp
2018 19.5 +0.6 pp
2017 18.9 +0.6 pp
2016 18.3 +0.6 pp
2015 17.7 +0.6 pp
2014 17.2 +0.6 pp
2013 16.6 +0.6 pp
2012 16 +0.6 pp
2011 15.5 +0.6 pp
2010 14.9 +0.6 pp
2009 14.3 +0.6 pp
2008 13.8 +0.6 pp
2007 13.2 +0.6 pp
2006 12.6 +0.6 pp
2005 12 +0.6 pp
2004 11.5 +0.6 pp
2003 10.9 +0.6 pp
2002 10.3 +0.5 pp
2001 9.8 +0.5 pp
2000 9.2 +0.5 pp
1999 8.7 +0.5 pp
1998 8.2 +0.5 pp
1997 7.8 +0.4 pp
1996 7.3 +0.4 pp
1995 6.9 +0.4 pp
1994 6.5 +0.4 pp
1993 6.1 +0.4 pp
1992 5.8 +0.3 pp
1991 5.5 +0.3 pp
1990 5.1 +0.3 pp
1989 4.8 +0.3 pp
1988 4.5 +0.3 pp
1987 4.3 +0.3 pp
1986 4 +0.2 pp
1985 3.8 +0.2 pp
1984 3.5 +0.2 pp
1983 3.3 +0.2 pp
1982 3.1 +0.2 pp
1981 2.9 +0.2 pp
1980 2.8

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.