Share of adults who are obese in Barbados

Barbados: Share of adults who are obese was 39.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
39.6%
Change on year
up 1.8%
World rank
24th
of 199 countries
All-time high
39.6%
in 2024
All-time low
10.7%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Share of adults who are obese in Barbados, 1980–2024

102030401980200220241980: 10.7 %1981: 11 %1982: 11.4 %1983: 11.7 %1984: 12.1 %1985: 12.5 %1986: 13 %1987: 13.4 %1988: 13.9 %1989: 14.4 %1990: 14.9 %1991: 15.5 %1992: 16.1 %1993: 16.7 %1994: 17.4 %1995: 18.1 %1996: 18.9 %1997: 19.6 %1998: 20.4 %1999: 21.2 %2000: 22.1 %2001: 22.9 %2002: 23.7 %2003: 24.5 %2004: 25.3 %2005: 26.1 %2006: 26.9 %2007: 27.6 %2008: 28.4 %2009: 29.2 %2010: 29.9 %2011: 30.6 %2012: 31.4 %2013: 32.1 %2014: 32.8 %2015: 33.5 %2016: 34.2 %2017: 34.9 %2018: 35.6 %2019: 36.2 %2020: 36.9 %2021: 37.6 %2022: 38.3 %2023: 39 %2024: 39.6 %

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Barbados recorded 39.6% for share of adults who are obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.8% on the previous year and up 20.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Barbados peaked at 39.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 10.7%, in 1980.

Barbados ranks 24th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 12.4% 10.7% 14.4% 10
1990s 17.9% 14.9% 21.2% 10
2000s 25.6% 22.1% 29.2% 10
2010s 33.1% 29.9% 36.2% 10
2020s 38.3% 36.9% 39.6% 5

Countries ranked near Barbados

  1. 21 Marshall Islands 41.2% compare
  2. 22 Chile 41.1% compare
  3. 23 Georgia 40.1% compare
  4. 25 Fiji 39.3% compare
  5. 26 Saudi Arabia 39.2% compare
  6. 27 Argentina 38.1% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Barbados

All data for Barbados →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of adults who are obese in Barbados?
Share of adults who are obese in Barbados was 39.6% 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 adults who are obese recorded in Barbados?
The highest recorded value was 39.6% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Barbados?
The lowest recorded value was 10.7% in 1980.
How does Barbados rank for share of adults who are obese?
Barbados ranks 24th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Barbados?
Over the last ten years it is up 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Barbados 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 adults who are obese. 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

Indicator
Share of adults who are obese
Unit
%
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 8,955 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed

Obesity is defined here as a body mass index (BMI) above 30. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters.