Share of children who are overweight or obese in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Share of children who are overweight or obese was 3.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
3.3%
Change on year
up 10.0%
World rank
133rd
of 163 countries
All-time high
3.3%
in 2024
All-time low
2.4%
in 2017
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

01232000201220242000: 2.8 %2001: 2.9 %2002: 3 %2003: 3.1 %2004: 3.1 %2005: 3.1 %2006: 3.1 %2007: 3.1 %2008: 3 %2009: 2.9 %2010: 2.9 %2011: 2.8 %2012: 2.7 %2013: 2.6 %2014: 2.5 %2015: 2.5 %2016: 2.5 %2017: 2.4 %2018: 2.4 %2019: 2.5 %2020: 2.6 %2021: 2.7 %2022: 2.8 %2023: 3 %2024: 3.3 %

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 Ethiopia is 3.3%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is up 10.0% on the previous year and up 32.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children who are overweight or obese in Ethiopia peaked at 3.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 2017.

Ethiopia ranks 133rd of 163 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 3.0% 2.8% 3.1% 10
2010s 2.6% 2.4% 2.9% 10
2020s 2.9% 2.6% 3.3% 5

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 131 Cote d'Ivoire 3.5% compare
  2. 132 Belarus 3.4% compare
  3. 133 Germany 3.3% compare
  4. 133 North Korea 3.3% compare
  5. 133 Philippines 3.3% compare

See the full ranking of 163 places →

More reference data data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children who are overweight or obese in Ethiopia?
Share of children who are overweight or obese in Ethiopia was 3.3% 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 Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of children who are overweight or obese recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 2017.
How does Ethiopia rank for share of children who are overweight or obese?
Ethiopia ranks 133rd out of 163 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of children who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is up 32.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ethiopia 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.