Obesity in adults — all countries

Obesity in adults — Middle East & North Africa

Obesity in adults in Middle East & North Africa in 2024 — 31.6%. Since 1980, the indicator has risen by 21.2 pp.

2024 31.6% +0.3 pp vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 31.6%2024
Period minimum 10.4%1980

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Obesity in adults — Middle East & North Africa, 1980–202401020304019801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 10.4%1981: 10.7%1982: 11%1983: 11.3%1984: 11.7%1985: 12.1%1986: 12.5%1987: 12.9%1988: 13.3%1989: 13.7%1990: 14.2%1991: 14.7%1992: 15.1%1993: 15.7%1994: 16.2%1995: 16.7%1996: 17.3%1997: 17.9%1998: 18.5%1999: 19.1%2000: 19.7%2001: 20.4%2002: 21%2003: 21.7%2004: 22.3%2005: 22.9%2006: 23.4%2007: 24%2008: 24.6%2009: 25.2%2010: 25.7%2011: 26.3%2012: 26.8%2013: 27.3%2014: 27.9%2015: 28.4%2016: 28.9%2017: 29.3%2018: 29.7%2019: 30%2020: 30.3%2021: 30.6%2022: 30.9%2023: 31.3%2024: 31.6%
Change over the period: +21.2 pp Annual average: 0.48 pp

Comparison, 2024

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Middle East & North Africa

Middle East & North Africa 31.6%
World computed 16.1%
Obesity in adults — Middle East & North Africa, by year Middle East & North Africa All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 31.6 +0.3 pp
2023 31.3 +0.3 pp
2022 30.9 +0.3 pp
2021 30.6 +0.3 pp
2020 30.3 +0.3 pp
2019 30 +0.3 pp
2018 29.7 +0.4 pp
2017 29.3 +0.4 pp
2016 28.9 +0.5 pp
2015 28.4 +0.5 pp
2014 27.9 +0.5 pp
2013 27.3 +0.6 pp
2012 26.8 +0.5 pp
2011 26.3 +0.6 pp
2010 25.7 +0.5 pp
2009 25.2 +0.6 pp
2008 24.6 +0.6 pp
2007 24 +0.6 pp
2006 23.4 +0.6 pp
2005 22.9 +0.6 pp
2004 22.3 +0.6 pp
2003 21.7 +0.6 pp
2002 21 +0.6 pp
2001 20.4 +0.6 pp
2000 19.7 +0.6 pp
1999 19.1 +0.6 pp
1998 18.5 +0.6 pp
1997 17.9 +0.6 pp
1996 17.3 +0.6 pp
1995 16.7 +0.5 pp
1994 16.2 +0.5 pp
1993 15.7 +0.5 pp
1992 15.1 +0.5 pp
1991 14.7 +0.4 pp
1990 14.2 +0.5 pp
1989 13.7 +0.4 pp
1988 13.3 +0.4 pp
1987 12.9 +0.4 pp
1986 12.5 +0.4 pp
1985 12.1 +0.4 pp
1984 11.7 +0.4 pp
1983 11.3 +0.3 pp
1982 11 +0.3 pp
1981 10.7 +0.3 pp
1980 10.4

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.