El Salvador vs South Africa: Share of adults who are obese
El Salvador
31.4%
in 2024
South Africa
31.3%
in 2024
El Salvador rank
58th
South Africa rank
59th
Share of adults who are obese over time
- El Salvador
- South Africa
How they compare
El Salvador currently reports 31.4% against 31.3% in South Africa, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 45 shared years of data; in 1980 it was South Africa ahead.
El Salvador ranks 58th and South Africa ranks 59th of 199 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | El Salvador | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.1% | 11.2% | 3.1% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 13.2% | 16.6% | 3.5% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 19.6% | 22.9% | 3.3% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 25.6% | 27.2% | 1.6% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 30.1% | 30.4% | 0.3% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of adults who are obese, El Salvador or South Africa?
- El Salvador, at 31.4% against 31.3% in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of adults who are obese between El Salvador and South Africa?
- 0.1%, with El Salvador ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for El Salvador and South Africa?
- 45 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2024.
- How do El Salvador and South Africa rank globally for share of adults who are obese?
- El Salvador ranks 58th and South Africa ranks 59th of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of adults who are obese. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Obesity is defined here as a body mass index (BMI) above 30. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters.