Poland vs South Africa: Share of adults who are overweight or obese
Poland
56.2%
in 2024
South Africa
55.7%
in 2024
Poland rank
102nd
South Africa rank
105th
Share of adults who are overweight or obese over time
- Poland
- South Africa
How they compare
Poland currently reports 56.2% against 55.7% in South Africa, a difference of 0.5%.
Across all 45 years both countries report, Poland has been ahead every year.
Poland ranks 102nd and South Africa ranks 105th of 199 countries.
Poland has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Poland | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 45.2% | 33.8% | 11.4% | Poland |
| 1990s | 47.6% | 42.4% | 5.2% | Poland |
| 2000s | 52.4% | 50.7% | 1.7% | Poland |
| 2010s | 56.3% | 54.3% | 2.0% | Poland |
| 2020s | 56.4% | 55.4% | 1.0% | Poland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of adults who are overweight or obese, Poland or South Africa?
- Poland, at 56.2% against 55.7% in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of adults who are overweight or obese between Poland and South Africa?
- 0.5%, with Poland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Poland and South Africa?
- 45 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2024.
- How do Poland and South Africa rank globally for share of adults who are overweight or obese?
- Poland ranks 102nd 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.