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Share of adults who are obese in Maldives

Maldives: Share of adults who are obese was 18.1% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
18.1%
Change on year
up 4.8%
World rank
133rd
of 199 countries
All-time high
18.1%
in 2024
All-time low
1.9%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Share of adults who are obese in Maldives, 1980–2024

051015201980200220241980: 1.9 %1981: 2 %1982: 2.1 %1983: 2.2 %1984: 2.3 %1985: 2.4 %1986: 2.5 %1987: 2.7 %1988: 2.8 %1989: 3 %1990: 3.2 %1991: 3.3 %1992: 3.5 %1993: 3.8 %1994: 4 %1995: 4.2 %1996: 4.5 %1997: 4.7 %1998: 5 %1999: 5.3 %2000: 5.6 %2001: 5.9 %2002: 6.2 %2003: 6.5 %2004: 6.8 %2005: 7.2 %2006: 7.5 %2007: 7.9 %2008: 8.2 %2009: 8.6 %2010: 9 %2011: 9.5 %2012: 10 %2013: 10.5 %2014: 11.1 %2015: 11.7 %2016: 12.3 %2017: 12.9 %2018: 13.6 %2019: 14.3 %2020: 15 %2021: 15.7 %2022: 16.5 %2023: 17.3 %2024: 18.1 %

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 Maldives is 18.1%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

That represents a change of up 4.8% on the previous year and up 63.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Maldives peaked at 18.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 1980.

Maldives ranks 133rd 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 2.4% 1.9% 3.0% 10
1990s 4.1% 3.2% 5.3% 10
2000s 7.0% 5.6% 8.6% 10
2010s 11.5% 9.0% 14.3% 10
2020s 16.5% 15.0% 18.1% 5

Countries ranked near Maldives

  1. 130 Afghanistan 18.8% compare
  2. 131 Sweden 18.7% compare
  3. 132 Austria 18.3% compare
  4. 134 Botswana 18.1% compare
  5. 135 Italy 17.9% compare
  6. 136 Netherlands 16.9% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Maldives

All data for Maldives →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of adults who are obese in Maldives?
Share of adults who are obese in Maldives 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 Maldives?
The highest recorded value was 18.1% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Maldives?
The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 1980.
How does Maldives rank for share of adults who are obese?
Maldives ranks 133rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Maldives?
Over the last ten years it is up 63.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Maldives 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

Indicator
Share of adults who are obese
Unit
%
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 8,955 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed

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.