Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Botswana

Botswana: Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese was 11.4% in 2014. ▼ Falling

Latest (2014)
11.4%
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
48th
of 198 countries
All-time high
20.0%
in 1975
All-time low
11.4%
in 2014
Years of data
40
1975–2014

Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Botswana, 1975–2014

051015201975199420141975: 20 %1976: 19.9 %1977: 19.8 %1978: 19.8 %1979: 19.7 %1980: 19.6 %1981: 19.5 %1982: 19.4 %1983: 19.3 %1984: 19.2 %1985: 19.1 %1986: 19 %1987: 18.9 %1988: 18.7 %1989: 18.5 %1990: 18.3 %1991: 18.1 %1992: 17.8 %1993: 17.5 %1994: 17.2 %1995: 17 %1996: 16.7 %1997: 16.4 %1998: 16.2 %1999: 15.9 %2000: 15.7 %2001: 15.5 %2002: 15.2 %2003: 15 %2004: 14.7 %2005: 14.5 %2006: 14.2 %2007: 13.9 %2008: 13.5 %2009: 13.2 %2010: 12.8 %2011: 12.5 %2012: 12.1 %2013: 11.7 %2014: 11.4 %

Source: NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2014, share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Botswana stood at 11.4%. That is the lowest value across all 40 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 22.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Botswana peaked at 20.0% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 11.4%, in 2014.

That places Botswana 48th out of 198 countries with data for 2014, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 40 years of available data.

Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Botswana, year by year

Annual values for Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Botswana, 1975 to 2014.
Year % Change
1975 20.0%
1976 19.9% -0.5%
1977 19.8% -0.5%
1978 19.8% +0.0%
1979 19.7% -0.5%
1980 19.6% -0.5%
1981 19.5% -0.5%
1982 19.4% -0.5%
1983 19.3% -0.5%
1984 19.2% -0.5%
1985 19.1% -0.5%
1986 19.0% -0.5%
1987 18.9% -0.5%
1988 18.7% -1.1%
1989 18.5% -1.1%
1990 18.3% -1.1%
1991 18.1% -1.1%
1992 17.8% -1.7%
1993 17.5% -1.7%
1994 17.2% -1.7%
1995 17.0% -1.2%
1996 16.7% -1.8%
1997 16.4% -1.8%
1998 16.2% -1.2%
1999 15.9% -1.9%
2000 15.7% -1.3%
2001 15.5% -1.3%
2002 15.2% -1.9%
2003 15.0% -1.3%
2004 14.7% -2.0%
2005 14.5% -1.4%
2006 14.2% -2.1%
2007 13.9% -2.1%
2008 13.5% -2.9%
2009 13.2% -2.2%
2010 12.8% -3.0%
2011 12.5% -2.3%
2012 12.1% -3.2%
2013 11.7% -3.3%
2014 11.4% -2.6%

Botswana compared with similar countries

  • Botswana's 11.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.0%, 5.7× the median. (57 countries reporting)
  • Botswana's 11.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.9%, 88% of the median. (46 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 19.8% 19.7% 20.0% 5
1980s 19.1% 18.5% 19.6% 10
1990s 17.1% 15.9% 18.3% 10
2000s 14.5% 13.2% 15.7% 10
2010s 12.1% 11.4% 12.8% 5

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 46 Sudan 11.8% compare
  2. 47 Uganda 11.5% compare
  3. 49 Namibia 11.1% compare
  4. 50 Nigeria 11.0% compare
  5. 51 Gabon 10.7% compare

See the full ranking of 198 places →

More reference data data for Botswana

All data for Botswana →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Botswana?
Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Botswana was 11.4% in 2014, according to NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese recorded in Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 20.0% in 1975.
What is the lowest share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 11.4% in 2014.
How does Botswana rank for share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese?
Botswana ranks 48th out of 198 countries with data for 2014.
Is share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese rising or falling in Botswana?
Over the last ten years it is down 22.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Botswana data come from?
The figures come from NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Botswana. Statizoid, drawing on NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/men-weight-categories/botswana/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese
Unit
%
Source
NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (2017) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
198 places, 7,920 data points, 1975–2014
Last refreshed

Share of men (% of adult population), who are underweight, healthy/normal, overweight or obese based on body mass index (BMI). Body Mass Index (BMI) is a person's weight divided by their height squared. The WHO define a BMI <=18.5 as underweight; 18.6 to 25.0 as normal/healthy; 25.1 to 30 as overweight; and >30.0 as obese.