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

Sri Lanka: Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese was 15.9% in 2014. ▼ Falling

Latest (2014)
15.9%
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
16th
of 198 countries
All-time high
22.6%
in 1975
All-time low
15.9%
in 2014
Years of data
40
1975–2014

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

05101520251975199420141975: 22.6 %1976: 22.5 %1977: 22.4 %1978: 22.4 %1979: 22.2 %1980: 22.1 %1981: 22 %1982: 21.8 %1983: 21.7 %1984: 21.5 %1985: 21.4 %1986: 21.2 %1987: 21.1 %1988: 21 %1989: 20.9 %1990: 20.8 %1991: 20.8 %1992: 20.7 %1993: 20.5 %1994: 20.4 %1995: 20.3 %1996: 20.1 %1997: 20 %1998: 19.8 %1999: 19.6 %2000: 19.4 %2001: 19.2 %2002: 18.9 %2003: 18.7 %2004: 18.5 %2005: 18.2 %2006: 18 %2007: 17.7 %2008: 17.5 %2009: 17.2 %2010: 17 %2011: 16.7 %2012: 16.4 %2013: 16.2 %2014: 15.9 %

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 Sri Lanka stood at 15.9%. That is the lowest value across all 40 years on record.

That represents a change of down 1.9% on the previous year and down 14.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Sri Lanka peaked at 22.6% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 15.9%, in 2014.

That places Sri Lanka 16th out of 198 countries with data for 2014, putting it 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 Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Sri Lanka, 1975 to 2014.
Year % Change
1975 22.6%
1976 22.5% -0.4%
1977 22.4% -0.4%
1978 22.4% +0.0%
1979 22.2% -0.9%
1980 22.1% -0.5%
1981 22.0% -0.5%
1982 21.8% -0.9%
1983 21.7% -0.5%
1984 21.5% -0.9%
1985 21.4% -0.5%
1986 21.2% -0.9%
1987 21.1% -0.5%
1988 21.0% -0.5%
1989 20.9% -0.5%
1990 20.8% -0.5%
1991 20.8% +0.0%
1992 20.7% -0.5%
1993 20.5% -1.0%
1994 20.4% -0.5%
1995 20.3% -0.5%
1996 20.1% -1.0%
1997 20.0% -0.5%
1998 19.8% -1.0%
1999 19.6% -1.0%
2000 19.4% -1.0%
2001 19.2% -1.0%
2002 18.9% -1.6%
2003 18.7% -1.1%
2004 18.5% -1.1%
2005 18.2% -1.6%
2006 18.0% -1.1%
2007 17.7% -1.7%
2008 17.5% -1.1%
2009 17.2% -1.7%
2010 17.0% -1.2%
2011 16.7% -1.8%
2012 16.4% -1.8%
2013 16.2% -1.2%
2014 15.9% -1.9%

Sri Lanka compared with similar countries

  • Sri Lanka's 15.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.0%, 8.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
  • Sri Lanka's 15.9% is below the median for South Asia, which is 16.9%, 94% of the median. (6 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 22.4% 22.2% 22.6% 5
1980s 21.5% 20.9% 22.1% 10
1990s 20.3% 19.6% 20.8% 10
2000s 18.3% 17.2% 19.4% 10
2010s 16.4% 15.9% 17.0% 5

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 13 Myanmar 16.7% compare
  2. 14 Cambodia 16.3% compare
  3. 15 Madagascar 16.1% compare
  4. 16 Burundi 15.9% compare
  5. 18 Congo 15.7% compare
  6. 19 Laos 15.3% compare
  7. 19 Mozambique 15.3% compare

See the full ranking of 198 places →

More reference data data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Sri Lanka?
Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in Sri Lanka was 15.9% 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 Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 22.6% in 1975.
What is the lowest share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 15.9% in 2014.
How does Sri Lanka rank for share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese?
Sri Lanka ranks 16th out of 198 countries with data for 2014.
Is share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka. 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/sri-lanka/

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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.