Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in China
China: Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese was 3.4% in 2014. ▼ Falling
Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in China, 1975–2014
Source: NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in China is 3.4%, measured in 2014. That is the lowest value across all 40 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.1% on the previous year and down 46.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in China peaked at 11.4% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 2014.
China ranks 79th of 198 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 40 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11.3% | 11.1% | 11.4% | 5 |
| 1980s | 10.8% | 10.4% | 11.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.3% | 8.0% | 10.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.2% | 4.8% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.9% | 3.4% | 4.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
- 77 Morocco 3.6% compare
- 77 Saint Lucia 3.6% compare
- 79 Grenada 3.4% compare
- 81 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3.3% compare
- 82 Taiwan 3.2% compare
More reference data data for China
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.66 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.0991 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.15 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 0 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.34 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 2.06 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 132.6 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in China?
- Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in China was 3.4% 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 11.4% in 1975.
- What is the lowest share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 2014.
- How does China rank for share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese?
- China ranks 79th out of 198 countries with data for 2014.
- Is share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 46.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 40 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.