Share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories in Zambia
Zambia: Share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories was 19.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories in Zambia, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories in Zambia stood at 19.9%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 46.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories in Zambia peaked at 19.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.6%, in 1980.
Zambia ranks 176th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
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 Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 4.6% | — |
| 1981 | 4.7% | +2.2% |
| 1982 | 4.8% | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 4.9% | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 5.1% | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 5.2% | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 5.4% | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 5.5% | +2.9% |
| 1988 | 5.7% | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 5.8% | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 6.0% | +3.1% |
| 1991 | 6.2% | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 6.4% | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 6.6% | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 6.8% | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 7.0% | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 7.2% | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 7.5% | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 7.7% | +3.4% |
| 1999 | 8.0% | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 8.3% | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 8.6% | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 8.9% | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 9.2% | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 9.6% | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 9.9% | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 10.3% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 10.6% | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 11.0% | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 11.4% | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 11.8% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 12.2% | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 12.7% | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 13.1% | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 13.6% | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 14.2% | +3.8% |
| 2016 | 14.7% | +3.9% |
| 2017 | 15.3% | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 15.9% | +3.9% |
| 2019 | 16.5% | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 17.1% | +3.9% |
| 2021 | 17.8% | +3.9% |
| 2022 | 18.5% | +3.9% |
| 2023 | 19.2% | +3.8% |
| 2024 | 19.9% | +3.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 19.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 28.7%, 69% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 19.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.8%, 96% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.2% | 4.6% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.0% | 6.0% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.8% | 8.3% | 11.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.0% | 11.8% | 16.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.5% | 17.1% | 19.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More reference data data for Zambia
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.0386 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies -0.018 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.3261 °C (2026)
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 19.51 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 19.51 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 19.51 (2026)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 40.84 % change on previous year (2025)
- Precipitation anomalies, annual growth rate 111.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 4 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories in Zambia?
- Share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories in Zambia was 19.9% 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 19.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.6% in 1980.
- How does Zambia rank for share of adult men overweight or obese vs. daily supply of calories?
- Zambia ranks 176th 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 Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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.