Share of adults who are obese in Namibia
Namibia: Share of adults who are obese was 16.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in Namibia, 1980–2024
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.
Share of adults who are obese in Namibia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 3.2% | — |
| 1981 | 3.3% | +5.2% |
| 1982 | 3.5% | +4.8% |
| 1983 | 3.7% | +4.4% |
| 1984 | 3.8% | +4.5% |
| 1985 | 4.0% | +4.4% |
| 1986 | 4.2% | +4.4% |
| 1987 | 4.3% | +4.4% |
| 1988 | 4.5% | +4.4% |
| 1989 | 4.7% | +3.7% |
| 1990 | 4.9% | +4.1% |
| 1991 | 5.1% | +5.1% |
| 1992 | 5.4% | +5.2% |
| 1993 | 5.7% | +5.3% |
| 1994 | 6.0% | +5.4% |
| 1995 | 6.3% | +5.4% |
| 1996 | 6.7% | +5.3% |
| 1997 | 7.0% | +5.3% |
| 1998 | 7.4% | +5.3% |
| 1999 | 7.8% | +5.2% |
| 2000 | 8.2% | +5.1% |
| 2001 | 8.6% | +4.8% |
| 2002 | 9.0% | +4.5% |
| 2003 | 9.3% | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 9.7% | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 10.1% | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 10.4% | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 10.8% | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 11.0% | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 11.3% | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 11.5% | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 11.8% | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 12.0% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 12.3% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 12.6% | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 13.0% | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 13.3% | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 13.7% | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 14.0% | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 14.4% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 14.9% | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 15.3% | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 15.7% | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 16.2% | +2.8% |
| 2024 | 16.7% | +2.9% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 16.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.6%, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 16.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11.6%, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
- 136 Netherlands 16.9% compare
- 137 Singapore 16.8% compare
- 138 Liberia 16.7% compare
- 140 Cape Verde 16.5% compare
- 141 Sao Tome and Principe 16.3% compare
- 142 Sudan 16.1% compare
More reference data data for Namibia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0579 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0157 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.194 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1306 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.82 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0853 (2050)
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
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.