Share of adults who are obese in Belize
Belize: Share of adults who are obese was 43.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in Belize, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of adults who are obese in Belize is 43.2%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 20.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Belize peaked at 43.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 10.9%, in 1980.
That places Belize 14th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of adults who are obese in Belize, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 10.9% | — |
| 1981 | 11.3% | +3.6% |
| 1982 | 11.7% | +3.8% |
| 1983 | 12.2% | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 12.7% | +4.1% |
| 1985 | 13.2% | +4.2% |
| 1986 | 13.8% | +4.2% |
| 1987 | 14.4% | +4.3% |
| 1988 | 15.0% | +4.3% |
| 1989 | 15.6% | +4.2% |
| 1990 | 16.3% | +4.1% |
| 1991 | 16.9% | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 17.6% | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 18.3% | +4.0% |
| 1994 | 19.1% | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 19.8% | +4.0% |
| 1996 | 20.7% | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 21.6% | +4.3% |
| 1998 | 22.5% | +4.3% |
| 1999 | 23.5% | +4.2% |
| 2000 | 24.4% | +4.0% |
| 2001 | 25.3% | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 26.2% | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 27.1% | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 28.0% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 28.8% | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 29.7% | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 30.5% | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 31.3% | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 32.1% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 32.9% | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 33.6% | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 34.3% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 35.1% | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 35.8% | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 36.5% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 37.2% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 38.0% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 38.7% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 39.5% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 40.2% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 41.0% | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 41.7% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 42.4% | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 43.2% | +1.9% |
Belize compared with similar countries
- Belize's 43.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 28.6%, 1.5× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Belize's 43.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 33.2%, 1.3× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 13.1% | 10.9% | 15.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.6% | 16.3% | 23.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 28.3% | 24.4% | 32.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.2% | 32.9% | 39.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.7% | 40.2% | 43.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Belize
More reference data data for Belize
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0139 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0337 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0813 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0041 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0813 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0467 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0206 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1856 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.399 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0225 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Belize?
- Share of adults who are obese in Belize was 43.2% 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 adults who are obese recorded in Belize?
- The highest recorded value was 43.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Belize?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.9% in 1980.
- How does Belize rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Belize ranks 14th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Belize?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belize 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
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.