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

Kenya: Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese was 13.3% in 2014. ▼ Falling

Latest (2014)
13.3%
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
31st
of 198 countries
All-time high
19.5%
in 1975
All-time low
13.3%
in 2014
Years of data
40
1975–2014

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

051015201975199420141975: 19.5 %1976: 19.4 %1977: 19.3 %1978: 19.2 %1979: 19 %1980: 18.9 %1981: 18.7 %1982: 18.5 %1983: 18.3 %1984: 18.1 %1985: 17.9 %1986: 17.7 %1987: 17.6 %1988: 17.4 %1989: 17.2 %1990: 17 %1991: 16.8 %1992: 16.7 %1993: 16.5 %1994: 16.4 %1995: 16.3 %1996: 16.2 %1997: 16.1 %1998: 16 %1999: 15.9 %2000: 15.8 %2001: 15.7 %2002: 15.6 %2003: 15.4 %2004: 15.3 %2005: 15.1 %2006: 14.9 %2007: 14.7 %2008: 14.6 %2009: 14.3 %2010: 14.1 %2011: 13.9 %2012: 13.7 %2013: 13.5 %2014: 13.3 %

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 Kenya stood at 13.3%. That is the lowest value across all 40 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 13.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Kenya peaked at 19.5% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 13.3%, in 2014.

That places Kenya 31st 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 Kenya, year by year

Annual values for Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Kenya, 1975 to 2014.
Year % Change
1975 19.5%
1976 19.4% -0.5%
1977 19.3% -0.5%
1978 19.2% -0.5%
1979 19.0% -1.0%
1980 18.9% -0.5%
1981 18.7% -1.1%
1982 18.5% -1.1%
1983 18.3% -1.1%
1984 18.1% -1.1%
1985 17.9% -1.1%
1986 17.7% -1.1%
1987 17.6% -0.6%
1988 17.4% -1.1%
1989 17.2% -1.1%
1990 17.0% -1.2%
1991 16.8% -1.2%
1992 16.7% -0.6%
1993 16.5% -1.2%
1994 16.4% -0.6%
1995 16.3% -0.6%
1996 16.2% -0.6%
1997 16.1% -0.6%
1998 16.0% -0.6%
1999 15.9% -0.6%
2000 15.8% -0.6%
2001 15.7% -0.6%
2002 15.6% -0.6%
2003 15.4% -1.3%
2004 15.3% -0.6%
2005 15.1% -1.3%
2006 14.9% -1.3%
2007 14.7% -1.3%
2008 14.6% -0.7%
2009 14.3% -2.1%
2010 14.1% -1.4%
2011 13.9% -1.4%
2012 13.7% -1.4%
2013 13.5% -1.5%
2014 13.3% -1.5%

Kenya compared with similar countries

  • Kenya's 13.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.1%, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • Kenya's 13.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.9%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 19.3% 19.0% 19.5% 5
1980s 18.0% 17.2% 18.9% 10
1990s 16.4% 15.9% 17.0% 10
2000s 15.1% 14.3% 15.8% 10
2010s 13.7% 13.3% 14.1% 5

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 28 Mali 13.8% compare
  2. 29 Burkina Faso 13.7% compare
  3. 30 Lesotho 13.5% compare
  4. 31 Tanzania 13.3% compare
  5. 33 Guinea-Bissau 13.1% compare
  6. 34 Djibouti 12.9% compare
  7. 34 Guinea 12.9% compare
  8. 34 Rwanda 12.9% compare

See the full ranking of 198 places →

More reference data data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Kenya?
Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Kenya was 13.3% 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 Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 19.5% in 1975.
What is the lowest share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 13.3% in 2014.
How does Kenya rank for share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese?
Kenya ranks 31st out of 198 countries with data for 2014.
Is share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Kenya 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 Kenya. 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/kenya/

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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.