Share of adults who are obese in Malaysia
Malaysia: Share of adults who are obese was 23.6% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of adults who are obese in Malaysia, 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 Malaysia is 23.6%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 37.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Malaysia peaked at 23.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 1980.
Malaysia ranks 104th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of adults who are obese in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 2.5% | — |
| 1981 | 2.7% | +6.4% |
| 1982 | 2.8% | +6.6% |
| 1983 | 3.0% | +6.7% |
| 1984 | 3.2% | +6.9% |
| 1985 | 3.5% | +7.0% |
| 1986 | 3.7% | +7.1% |
| 1987 | 4.0% | +7.1% |
| 1988 | 4.2% | +7.1% |
| 1989 | 4.5% | +7.1% |
| 1990 | 4.9% | +7.0% |
| 1991 | 5.2% | +6.9% |
| 1992 | 5.5% | +6.8% |
| 1993 | 5.9% | +6.7% |
| 1994 | 6.3% | +6.7% |
| 1995 | 6.7% | +6.7% |
| 1996 | 7.2% | +6.6% |
| 1997 | 7.7% | +6.6% |
| 1998 | 8.2% | +6.6% |
| 1999 | 8.7% | +6.4% |
| 2000 | 9.2% | +6.2% |
| 2001 | 9.8% | +5.9% |
| 2002 | 10.3% | +5.5% |
| 2003 | 10.9% | +5.3% |
| 2004 | 11.4% | +5.1% |
| 2005 | 12.0% | +5.0% |
| 2006 | 12.6% | +4.8% |
| 2007 | 13.1% | +4.6% |
| 2008 | 13.7% | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 14.3% | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 14.9% | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 15.5% | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 16.0% | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 16.6% | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 17.2% | +3.6% |
| 2015 | 17.8% | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 18.5% | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 19.1% | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 19.7% | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 20.3% | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 21.0% | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 21.6% | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 22.3% | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 22.9% | +3.0% |
| 2024 | 23.6% | +2.9% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 23.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 28.6%, 82% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 23.6% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 24.6%, 96% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.4% | 2.5% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.6% | 4.9% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.7% | 9.2% | 14.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.6% | 14.9% | 20.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.3% | 21.0% | 23.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More reference data data for Malaysia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7102 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5869 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1487 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8098 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Malaysia?
- Share of adults who are obese in Malaysia was 23.6% 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 23.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 1980.
- How does Malaysia rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Malaysia ranks 104th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.