Share of adults who are obese in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Share of adults who are obese was 5.9% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of adults who are obese in Democratic Republic of Congo, 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 adults who are obese in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 5.9%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.2% on the previous year and up 49.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 5.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1980.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 189th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of adults who are obese in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.6% | — |
| 1981 | 0.7% | +4.9% |
| 1982 | 0.7% | +5.1% |
| 1983 | 0.7% | +5.2% |
| 1984 | 0.8% | +5.2% |
| 1985 | 0.8% | +5.4% |
| 1986 | 0.8% | +5.6% |
| 1987 | 0.9% | +5.8% |
| 1988 | 0.9% | +5.9% |
| 1989 | 1.0% | +6.0% |
| 1990 | 1.1% | +6.1% |
| 1991 | 1.1% | +6.2% |
| 1992 | 1.2% | +6.2% |
| 1993 | 1.3% | +6.2% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | +5.9% |
| 1995 | 1.4% | +6.3% |
| 1996 | 1.5% | +7.3% |
| 1997 | 1.7% | +7.4% |
| 1998 | 1.8% | +6.9% |
| 1999 | 1.9% | +6.6% |
| 2000 | 2.0% | +6.6% |
| 2001 | 2.1% | +6.5% |
| 2002 | 2.3% | +6.3% |
| 2003 | 2.4% | +6.1% |
| 2004 | 2.6% | +5.8% |
| 2005 | 2.7% | +5.5% |
| 2006 | 2.8% | +5.2% |
| 2007 | 3.0% | +4.9% |
| 2008 | 3.1% | +4.6% |
| 2009 | 3.3% | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 3.4% | +4.0% |
| 2011 | 3.5% | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 3.6% | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 3.8% | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 3.9% | +3.6% |
| 2015 | 4.1% | +3.9% |
| 2016 | 4.2% | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 4.4% | +4.0% |
| 2018 | 4.6% | +4.1% |
| 2019 | 4.8% | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 5.0% | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 5.2% | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 5.4% | +4.2% |
| 2023 | 5.6% | +4.2% |
| 2024 | 5.9% | +4.2% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 5.9% is below the median for low income countries, which is 8.2%, 72% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 5.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11.6%, 51% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.4% | 1.1% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.6% | 2.0% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.0% | 3.4% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.4% | 5.0% | 5.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure Management 380.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure applied 313.43 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Burning - Crop residues 8.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.82 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Enteric Fermentation 109.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure left on 1,764 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 6,987 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 601.15 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Share of adults who are obese in Democratic Republic of Congo was 5.9% 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 adults who are obese recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 5.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1980.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 189th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 49.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.