Share of adults who are obese in Namibia

Namibia: Share of adults who are obese was 16.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
16.7%
Change on year
up 2.9%
World rank
139th
of 199 countries
All-time high
16.7%
in 2024
All-time low
3.2%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

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

510151980200220241980: 3.2 %1981: 3.3 %1982: 3.5 %1983: 3.7 %1984: 3.8 %1985: 4 %1986: 4.2 %1987: 4.3 %1988: 4.5 %1989: 4.7 %1990: 4.9 %1991: 5.1 %1992: 5.4 %1993: 5.7 %1994: 6 %1995: 6.3 %1996: 6.7 %1997: 7 %1998: 7.4 %1999: 7.8 %2000: 8.2 %2001: 8.6 %2002: 9 %2003: 9.3 %2004: 9.7 %2005: 10.1 %2006: 10.4 %2007: 10.8 %2008: 11 %2009: 11.3 %2010: 11.5 %2011: 11.8 %2012: 12 %2013: 12.3 %2014: 12.6 %2015: 13 %2016: 13.3 %2017: 13.7 %2018: 14 %2019: 14.4 %2020: 14.9 %2021: 15.3 %2022: 15.7 %2023: 16.2 %2024: 16.7 %

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 Namibia stood at 16.7%. 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 31.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Namibia peaked at 16.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 3.2%, in 1980.

That places Namibia 139th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 3.9% 3.2% 4.7% 10
1990s 6.2% 4.9% 7.8% 10
2000s 9.8% 8.2% 11.3% 10
2010s 12.9% 11.5% 14.4% 10
2020s 15.8% 14.9% 16.7% 5

Countries ranked near Namibia

  1. 136 Netherlands 16.9% compare
  2. 137 Singapore 16.8% compare
  3. 138 Liberia 16.7% compare
  4. 140 Cape Verde 16.5% compare
  5. 141 Sao Tome and Principe 16.3% compare
  6. 142 Sudan 16.1% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Namibia

All data for Namibia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of adults who are obese in Namibia?
Share of adults who are obese in Namibia was 16.7% 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 Namibia?
The highest recorded value was 16.7% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Namibia?
The lowest recorded value was 3.2% in 1980.
How does Namibia rank for share of adults who are obese?
Namibia ranks 139th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Namibia?
Over the last ten years it is up 31.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Namibia 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.