Share of adults who are obese in Malawi
Malawi: Share of adults who are obese was 6.7% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of adults who are obese in Malawi, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 6.7% for share of adults who are obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.9% on the previous year and up 65.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Malawi peaked at 6.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 1980.
That places Malawi 186th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.7% | — |
| 1981 | 0.7% | +3.7% |
| 1982 | 0.7% | +3.8% |
| 1983 | 0.7% | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 0.8% | +4.1% |
| 1985 | 0.8% | +4.2% |
| 1986 | 0.8% | +4.4% |
| 1987 | 0.9% | +4.2% |
| 1988 | 0.9% | +4.4% |
| 1989 | 1.0% | +5.1% |
| 1990 | 1.0% | +5.3% |
| 1991 | 1.1% | +5.4% |
| 1992 | 1.1% | +5.6% |
| 1993 | 1.2% | +5.7% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | +5.9% |
| 1995 | 1.3% | +6.0% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | +6.2% |
| 1997 | 1.5% | +6.4% |
| 1998 | 1.6% | +6.5% |
| 1999 | 1.7% | +6.5% |
| 2000 | 1.8% | +6.4% |
| 2001 | 1.9% | +6.4% |
| 2002 | 2.1% | +6.3% |
| 2003 | 2.2% | +6.2% |
| 2004 | 2.3% | +6.1% |
| 2005 | 2.5% | +6.0% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | +5.8% |
| 2007 | 2.7% | +5.7% |
| 2008 | 2.9% | +5.7% |
| 2009 | 3.1% | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 3.2% | +5.6% |
| 2011 | 3.4% | +5.6% |
| 2012 | 3.6% | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 3.8% | +5.7% |
| 2014 | 4.0% | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 4.3% | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 4.5% | +5.5% |
| 2017 | 4.7% | +5.4% |
| 2018 | 5.0% | +5.3% |
| 2019 | 5.3% | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 5.5% | +5.1% |
| 2021 | 5.8% | +5.0% |
| 2022 | 6.1% | +4.9% |
| 2023 | 6.4% | +4.9% |
| 2024 | 6.7% | +4.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 6.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 8.2%, 82% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 6.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11.6%, 58% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.3% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.4% | 1.8% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.2% | 3.2% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.1% | 5.5% | 6.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 183 South Korea 7.5% compare
- 184 Sierra Leone 7.3% compare
- 185 Burkina Faso 7.0% compare
- 187 Chad 6.3% compare
- 188 Niger 6.0% compare
- 189 Democratic Republic of Congo 5.9% compare
More reference data data for Malawi
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1596 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3426 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5353 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.6012 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.87 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Malawi?
- Share of adults who are obese in Malawi was 6.7% 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 6.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 1980.
- How does Malawi rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Malawi ranks 186th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 65.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi 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.