Share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories in South Africa
South Africa: Share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories was 36.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories in South Africa, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 36.2% for share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories in South Africa peaked at 36.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 14.4%, in 1980.
South Africa ranks 141st of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 14.4% | — |
| 1981 | 15.0% | +4.1% |
| 1982 | 15.6% | +4.2% |
| 1983 | 16.3% | +4.3% |
| 1984 | 17.0% | +4.4% |
| 1985 | 17.8% | +4.3% |
| 1986 | 18.5% | +4.2% |
| 1987 | 19.3% | +4.2% |
| 1988 | 20.1% | +4.1% |
| 1989 | 20.9% | +4.1% |
| 1990 | 21.8% | +4.1% |
| 1991 | 22.7% | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 23.6% | +4.0% |
| 1993 | 24.7% | +4.5% |
| 1994 | 25.6% | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 26.2% | +2.6% |
| 1996 | 26.9% | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 27.5% | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 28.3% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 29.1% | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 29.8% | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 30.4% | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 31.0% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 31.6% | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 32.1% | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 32.6% | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 33.1% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 33.5% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 33.9% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 34.2% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 34.4% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 34.6% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 34.7% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 34.8% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 34.9% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 34.8% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 34.9% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 35.1% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 35.3% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 35.5% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 35.7% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 35.9% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 36.0% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 36.1% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 36.2% | +0.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 36.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 59.4%, 61% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 36.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.8%, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 17.5% | 14.4% | 20.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 25.6% | 21.8% | 29.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.2% | 29.8% | 34.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.9% | 34.4% | 35.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.0% | 35.7% | 36.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 138 Eswatini 38.9% compare
- 139 Cape Verde 36.9% compare
- 140 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 36.6% compare
- 142 Gabon 35.3% compare
- 143 Philippines 33.9% compare
- 144 Japan 33.6% compare
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories in South Africa?
- Share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories in South Africa was 36.2% in 2024, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 36.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.4% in 1980.
- How does South Africa rank for share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories?
- South Africa ranks 141st out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Being overweight is defined by a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25, and being obese is defined as a BMI greater than 30.