Share of adults who are obese in Botswana
Botswana: Share of adults who are obese was 18.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in Botswana, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Botswana recorded 18.1% for share of adults who are obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 32.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Botswana peaked at 18.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 1980.
Botswana ranks 134th 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 adults who are obese in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 2.9% | — |
| 1981 | 3.0% | +5.0% |
| 1982 | 3.2% | +4.9% |
| 1983 | 3.3% | +5.1% |
| 1984 | 3.5% | +5.2% |
| 1985 | 3.7% | +5.4% |
| 1986 | 3.9% | +5.4% |
| 1987 | 4.1% | +5.4% |
| 1988 | 4.3% | +5.4% |
| 1989 | 4.6% | +5.5% |
| 1990 | 4.8% | +5.5% |
| 1991 | 5.1% | +5.4% |
| 1992 | 5.3% | +5.4% |
| 1993 | 5.6% | +5.4% |
| 1994 | 5.9% | +5.3% |
| 1995 | 6.2% | +5.4% |
| 1996 | 6.6% | +5.3% |
| 1997 | 6.9% | +5.1% |
| 1998 | 7.3% | +5.0% |
| 1999 | 7.6% | +5.0% |
| 2000 | 8.0% | +5.0% |
| 2001 | 8.4% | +4.9% |
| 2002 | 8.8% | +4.7% |
| 2003 | 9.2% | +4.5% |
| 2004 | 9.6% | +4.4% |
| 2005 | 10.0% | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 10.4% | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 10.8% | +4.0% |
| 2008 | 11.3% | +3.9% |
| 2009 | 11.7% | +3.7% |
| 2010 | 12.1% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 12.5% | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 12.9% | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 13.3% | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 13.7% | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 14.1% | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 14.5% | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 14.9% | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 15.3% | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 15.6% | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 16.0% | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 16.4% | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 16.9% | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 17.5% | +3.4% |
| 2024 | 18.1% | +3.4% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 18.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 28.6%, 63% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 18.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11.6%, 1.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.6% | 2.9% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.1% | 4.8% | 7.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.8% | 8.0% | 11.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.9% | 12.1% | 15.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.0% | 16.0% | 18.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More reference data data for Botswana
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0472 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0078 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0825 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0424 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Botswana?
- Share of adults who are obese in Botswana was 18.1% 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 Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 18.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 1980.
- How does Botswana rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Botswana ranks 134th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Botswana 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.