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

Laos: Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese was 15.3% in 2014. ▼ Falling

Latest (2014)
15.3%
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
19th
of 198 countries
All-time high
22.4%
in 1975
All-time low
15.3%
in 2014
Years of data
40
1975–2014

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

051015201975199420141975: 22.4 %1976: 22.4 %1977: 22.3 %1978: 22.3 %1979: 22.3 %1980: 22.2 %1981: 22.2 %1982: 22.1 %1983: 22 %1984: 21.9 %1985: 21.9 %1986: 21.8 %1987: 21.7 %1988: 21.6 %1989: 21.5 %1990: 21.4 %1991: 21.4 %1992: 21.3 %1993: 21.2 %1994: 21.1 %1995: 20.9 %1996: 20.8 %1997: 20.6 %1998: 20.5 %1999: 20.3 %2000: 20.1 %2001: 19.8 %2002: 19.6 %2003: 19.3 %2004: 19 %2005: 18.6 %2006: 18.3 %2007: 17.9 %2008: 17.6 %2009: 17.2 %2010: 16.8 %2011: 16.4 %2012: 16 %2013: 15.7 %2014: 15.3 %

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

Analysis

Laos recorded 15.3% for share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in 2014. That is the lowest value across all 40 years on record.

The figure is down 2.5% on the previous year and down 19.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Laos peaked at 22.4% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 15.3%, in 2014.

Laos ranks 19th of 198 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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 Laos, year by year

Annual values for Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Laos, 1975 to 2014.
Year % Change
1975 22.4%
1976 22.4% +0.0%
1977 22.3% -0.4%
1978 22.3% +0.0%
1979 22.3% +0.0%
1980 22.2% -0.4%
1981 22.2% +0.0%
1982 22.1% -0.5%
1983 22.0% -0.5%
1984 21.9% -0.5%
1985 21.9% +0.0%
1986 21.8% -0.5%
1987 21.7% -0.5%
1988 21.6% -0.5%
1989 21.5% -0.5%
1990 21.4% -0.5%
1991 21.4% +0.0%
1992 21.3% -0.5%
1993 21.2% -0.5%
1994 21.1% -0.5%
1995 20.9% -0.9%
1996 20.8% -0.5%
1997 20.6% -1.0%
1998 20.5% -0.5%
1999 20.3% -1.0%
2000 20.1% -1.0%
2001 19.8% -1.5%
2002 19.6% -1.0%
2003 19.3% -1.5%
2004 19.0% -1.6%
2005 18.6% -2.1%
2006 18.3% -1.6%
2007 17.9% -2.2%
2008 17.6% -1.7%
2009 17.2% -2.3%
2010 16.8% -2.3%
2011 16.4% -2.4%
2012 16.0% -2.4%
2013 15.7% -1.9%
2014 15.3% -2.5%

Laos compared with similar countries

  • Laos's 15.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.1%, 1.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • Laos's 15.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.1%, 7.3× the median. (32 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 22.3% 22.3% 22.4% 5
1980s 21.9% 21.5% 22.2% 10
1990s 20.9% 20.3% 21.4% 10
2000s 18.7% 17.2% 20.1% 10
2010s 16.0% 15.3% 16.8% 5

Countries ranked near Laos

  1. 16 Burundi 15.9% compare
  2. 16 Sri Lanka 15.9% compare
  3. 18 Congo 15.7% compare
  4. 19 Mozambique 15.3% compare
  5. 21 Indonesia 14.9% compare
  6. 22 Chad 14.8% compare
  7. 22 Somalia 14.8% compare

See the full ranking of 198 places →

More reference data data for Laos

All data for Laos →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Laos?
Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Laos was 15.3% 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 Laos?
The highest recorded value was 22.4% in 1975.
What is the lowest share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese recorded in Laos?
The lowest recorded value was 15.3% in 2014.
How does Laos rank for share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese?
Laos ranks 19th out of 198 countries with data for 2014.
Is share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese rising or falling in Laos?
Over the last ten years it is down 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Laos 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 Laos. 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/lao-pdr/

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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.