Papua New Guinea vs South Africa: Share of adults who are overweight or obese
Papua New Guinea
55.7%
in 2024
South Africa
55.7%
in 2024
Papua New Guinea rank
106th
South Africa rank
105th
Share of adults who are overweight or obese over time
- Papua New Guinea
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 55.7% against 55.7% in Papua New Guinea, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 45 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Papua New Guinea ahead.
Papua New Guinea ranks 106th and South Africa ranks 105th of 199 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Papua New Guinea averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Papua New Guinea | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 33.8% | 33.8% | 0.0% | Papua New Guinea |
| 1990s | 41.0% | 42.4% | 1.4% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 47.1% | 50.7% | 3.6% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 51.8% | 54.3% | 2.5% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 54.9% | 55.4% | 0.5% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of adults who are overweight or obese, Papua New Guinea or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 55.7% against 55.7% in Papua New Guinea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of adults who are overweight or obese between Papua New Guinea and South Africa?
- 0.0%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Papua New Guinea and South Africa?
- 45 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2024.
- How do Papua New Guinea and South Africa rank globally for share of adults who are overweight or obese?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 106th and South Africa ranks 105th of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of adults who are overweight or obese. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Overweight is defined here as a body mass index (BMI) above 25. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters.