Share of adults who are obese in Mauritania
Mauritania: Share of adults who are obese was 22.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in Mauritania, 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 Mauritania is 22.1%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 32.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Mauritania peaked at 22.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 3.8%, in 1980.
Mauritania ranks 113th 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 Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 3.8% | — |
| 1981 | 4.0% | +4.9% |
| 1982 | 4.2% | +4.9% |
| 1983 | 4.4% | +4.9% |
| 1984 | 4.6% | +4.9% |
| 1985 | 4.8% | +4.8% |
| 1986 | 5.0% | +4.8% |
| 1987 | 5.3% | +4.8% |
| 1988 | 5.5% | +4.8% |
| 1989 | 5.8% | +4.9% |
| 1990 | 6.1% | +4.9% |
| 1991 | 6.4% | +4.9% |
| 1992 | 6.7% | +4.7% |
| 1993 | 7.0% | +4.8% |
| 1994 | 7.4% | +5.1% |
| 1995 | 7.7% | +5.3% |
| 1996 | 8.2% | +5.5% |
| 1997 | 8.6% | +5.5% |
| 1998 | 9.1% | +5.4% |
| 1999 | 9.6% | +5.3% |
| 2000 | 10.1% | +5.2% |
| 2001 | 10.6% | +5.2% |
| 2002 | 11.1% | +5.2% |
| 2003 | 11.7% | +4.9% |
| 2004 | 12.2% | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 12.7% | +4.2% |
| 2006 | 13.2% | +3.9% |
| 2007 | 13.7% | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 14.1% | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 14.5% | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 14.9% | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 15.3% | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 15.8% | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 16.2% | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 16.6% | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 17.1% | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 17.6% | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 18.1% | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 18.7% | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 19.2% | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 19.8% | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 20.4% | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 20.9% | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 21.5% | +2.8% |
| 2024 | 22.1% | +2.7% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 22.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.6%, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 22.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11.6%, 1.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.7% | 3.8% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.7% | 6.1% | 9.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.4% | 10.1% | 14.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.0% | 14.9% | 19.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.9% | 19.8% | 22.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
More reference data data for Mauritania
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0975 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0216 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.327 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1337 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 14.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.99 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1178 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Mauritania?
- Share of adults who are obese in Mauritania was 22.1% 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 Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 22.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.8% in 1980.
- How does Mauritania rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Mauritania ranks 113th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mauritania 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.