Obesity in adults — all countries

Obesity in adults — Zambia

Obesity in adults in Zambia in 2024 — 11.6%. Ranked 35 in the world out of 199. Since 1980, the indicator has risen by 10 pp.

2024 11.6% +0.5 pp vs 2023
World rank 35of 199
Period maximum 11.6%2024
Period minimum 1.6%1980

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Obesity in adults — Zambia, 1980–202405101519801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 1.6%1981: 1.6%1982: 1.7%1983: 1.8%1984: 1.8%1985: 1.9%1986: 2%1987: 2.1%1988: 2.2%1989: 2.2%1990: 2.3%1991: 2.5%1992: 2.6%1993: 2.7%1994: 2.8%1995: 3%1996: 3.1%1997: 3.3%1998: 3.5%1999: 3.7%2000: 3.9%2001: 4.1%2002: 4.3%2003: 4.5%2004: 4.8%2005: 5%2006: 5.3%2007: 5.6%2008: 5.8%2009: 6.1%2010: 6.4%2011: 6.6%2012: 6.9%2013: 7.2%2014: 7.6%2015: 7.9%2016: 8.3%2017: 8.6%2018: 9%2019: 9.4%2020: 9.8%2021: 10.2%2022: 10.7%2023: 11.1%2024: 11.6%
Change over the period: +10 pp Annual average: 0.23 pp

Comparison, 2024

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

Zambia 11.6%
World computed 16.1%
Sub-Saharan Africa computed 11.7%
Eastern Africa computed 8.2%
Obesity in adults — Zambia, by year Zambia All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 11.6 +0.5 pp
2023 11.1 +0.5 pp
2022 10.7 +0.4 pp
2021 10.2 +0.4 pp
2020 9.8 +0.4 pp
2019 9.4 +0.4 pp
2018 9 +0.4 pp
2017 8.6 +0.4 pp
2016 8.3 +0.4 pp
2015 7.9 +0.3 pp
2014 7.6 +0.3 pp
2013 7.2 +0.3 pp
2012 6.9 +0.3 pp
2011 6.6 +0.3 pp
2010 6.4 +0.3 pp
2009 6.1 +0.3 pp
2008 5.8 +0.3 pp
2007 5.6 +0.3 pp
2006 5.3 +0.3 pp
2005 5 +0.2 pp
2004 4.8 +0.2 pp
2003 4.5 +0.2 pp
2002 4.3 +0.2 pp
2001 4.1 +0.2 pp
2000 3.9 +0.2 pp
1999 3.7 +0.2 pp
1998 3.5 +0.2 pp
1997 3.3 +0.2 pp
1996 3.1 +0.2 pp
1995 3 +0.1 pp
1994 2.8 +0.1 pp
1993 2.7 +0.1 pp
1992 2.6 +0.1 pp
1991 2.5 +0.1 pp
1990 2.3 +0.1 pp
1989 2.2 +0.1 pp
1988 2.2 +0.1 pp
1987 2.1 +0.1 pp
1986 2 +0.1 pp
1985 1.9 +0.1 pp
1984 1.8 +0.1 pp
1983 1.8 +0.1 pp
1982 1.7 +0.1 pp
1981 1.6 +0.1 pp
1980 1.6

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.