Share of children who are overweight or obese in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Share of children who are overweight or obese was 4.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are overweight or obese in Zimbabwe, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Zimbabwe recorded 4.0% for share of children who are overweight or obese in 2024.
That represents a change of up 11.1% on the previous year and up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are overweight or obese in Zimbabwe peaked at 8.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 2019.
Zimbabwe ranks 120th 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.
Share of children who are overweight or obese in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 8.7% | — |
| 2001 | 8.7% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 8.6% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 8.3% | -3.5% |
| 2004 | 8.1% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 7.7% | -4.9% |
| 2006 | 7.3% | -5.2% |
| 2007 | 6.8% | -6.8% |
| 2008 | 6.3% | -7.4% |
| 2009 | 5.9% | -6.3% |
| 2010 | 5.4% | -8.5% |
| 2011 | 4.9% | -9.3% |
| 2012 | 4.5% | -8.2% |
| 2013 | 4.2% | -6.7% |
| 2014 | 3.9% | -7.1% |
| 2015 | 3.7% | -5.1% |
| 2016 | 3.5% | -5.4% |
| 2017 | 3.3% | -5.7% |
| 2018 | 3.2% | -3.0% |
| 2019 | 3.1% | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 3.1% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 3.2% | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 3.4% | +6.2% |
| 2023 | 3.6% | +5.9% |
| 2024 | 4.0% | +11.1% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 4.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.5%, 88% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 4.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.2%, 94% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.6% | 5.9% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.0% | 3.1% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.5% | 3.1% | 4.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More reference data data for Zimbabwe
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2024)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 122.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Consumer price index 11,077 2010 = 100 (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are overweight or obese in Zimbabwe?
- Share of children who are overweight or obese in Zimbabwe was 4.0% 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 8.7% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of children who are overweight or obese recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 2019.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for share of children who are overweight or obese?
- Zimbabwe ranks 120th out of 163 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.
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About this data
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.