Share of children who are overweight or obese in Uganda

Uganda: Share of children who are overweight or obese was 4.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
4.2%
Change on year
up 7.7%
World rank
112th
of 163 countries
All-time high
5.3%
in 2002
All-time low
3.3%
in 2018
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

02462000201220242000: 5.1 %2001: 5.2 %2002: 5.3 %2003: 5.3 %2004: 5.3 %2005: 5.2 %2006: 5.1 %2007: 5 %2008: 4.8 %2009: 4.6 %2010: 4.4 %2011: 4.2 %2012: 4 %2013: 3.8 %2014: 3.7 %2015: 3.5 %2016: 3.4 %2017: 3.4 %2018: 3.3 %2019: 3.3 %2020: 3.4 %2021: 3.5 %2022: 3.6 %2023: 3.9 %2024: 4.2 %

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 Uganda is 4.2%, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.7% on the previous year and up 13.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children who are overweight or obese in Uganda peaked at 5.3% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 2018.

Uganda ranks 112th of 163 countries on this measure, 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 5.1% 4.6% 5.3% 10
2010s 3.7% 3.3% 4.4% 10
2020s 3.7% 3.4% 4.2% 5

Countries ranked near Uganda

  1. 110 Kenya 4.3% compare
  2. 110 South Sudan 4.3% compare
  3. 112 Azerbaijan 4.2% compare
  4. 112 Democratic Republic of Congo 4.2% compare
  5. 112 Honduras 4.2% compare
  6. 112 Morocco 4.2% compare

See the full ranking of 163 places →

More reference data data for Uganda

All data for Uganda →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children who are overweight or obese in Uganda?
Share of children who are overweight or obese in Uganda was 4.2% 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 Uganda?
The highest recorded value was 5.3% in 2002.
What is the lowest share of children who are overweight or obese recorded in Uganda?
The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 2018.
How does Uganda rank for share of children who are overweight or obese?
Uganda ranks 112th out of 163 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of children who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Uganda?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Uganda 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.