Share of children who are overweight or obese in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Share of children who are overweight or obese was 4.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
4.4%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
106th
of 163 countries
All-time high
5.0%
in 2003
All-time low
4.4%
in 2020
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Share of children who are overweight or obese in Afghanistan, 2000–2024

0123452000201220242000: 4.8 %2001: 4.9 %2002: 4.9 %2003: 5 %2004: 5 %2005: 5 %2006: 5 %2007: 5 %2008: 4.9 %2009: 4.9 %2010: 4.9 %2011: 4.8 %2012: 4.8 %2013: 4.7 %2014: 4.7 %2015: 4.6 %2016: 4.6 %2017: 4.6 %2018: 4.5 %2019: 4.5 %2020: 4.4 %2021: 4.4 %2022: 4.4 %2023: 4.4 %2024: 4.4 %

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of children who are overweight or obese in Afghanistan is 4.4%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 6.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children who are overweight or obese in Afghanistan peaked at 5.0% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 4.4%, in 2020.

That places Afghanistan 106th out of 163 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 4.9% 4.8% 5.0% 10
2010s 4.7% 4.5% 4.9% 10
2020s 4.4% 4.4% 4.4% 5

Countries ranked near Afghanistan

  1. 105 Lebanon 4.5% compare
  2. 106 Guinea 4.4% compare
  3. 106 Malawi 4.4% compare
  4. 106 Mozambique 4.4% compare

See the full ranking of 163 places →

More reference data data for Afghanistan

All data for Afghanistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children who are overweight or obese in Afghanistan?
Share of children who are overweight or obese in Afghanistan was 4.4% in 2024, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of children who are overweight or obese recorded in Afghanistan?
The highest recorded value was 5.0% in 2003.
What is the lowest share of children who are overweight or obese recorded in Afghanistan?
The lowest recorded value was 4.4% in 2020.
How does Afghanistan rank for share of children who are overweight or obese?
Afghanistan ranks 106th out of 163 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of children who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Afghanistan?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who are overweight or obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of children who are overweight or obese
Unit
%
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
163 places, 4,075 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Share of children under five years old that are defined as overweight or obese. A child is classified as overweight if their weight-for-height is more than two standard deviations from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards.