Share of adults who are obese in Nigeria
Nigeria: Share of adults who are obese was 12.1% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of adults who are obese in Nigeria, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 12.1% for share of adults who are obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.7% on the previous year and up 43.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Nigeria peaked at 12.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 1980.
That places Nigeria 155th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of adults who are obese in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1.3% | — |
| 1981 | 1.3% | +5.4% |
| 1982 | 1.4% | +5.5% |
| 1983 | 1.5% | +5.7% |
| 1984 | 1.6% | +5.8% |
| 1985 | 1.7% | +5.9% |
| 1986 | 1.8% | +6.0% |
| 1987 | 1.9% | +6.1% |
| 1988 | 2.0% | +6.2% |
| 1989 | 2.1% | +6.3% |
| 1990 | 2.2% | +6.4% |
| 1991 | 2.4% | +6.6% |
| 1992 | 2.5% | +6.7% |
| 1993 | 2.7% | +6.7% |
| 1994 | 2.9% | +6.8% |
| 1995 | 3.1% | +7.0% |
| 1996 | 3.3% | +7.1% |
| 1997 | 3.5% | +7.2% |
| 1998 | 3.8% | +7.3% |
| 1999 | 4.1% | +7.3% |
| 2000 | 4.4% | +7.2% |
| 2001 | 4.7% | +7.0% |
| 2002 | 5.0% | +6.8% |
| 2003 | 5.3% | +6.5% |
| 2004 | 5.7% | +6.2% |
| 2005 | 6.0% | +5.8% |
| 2006 | 6.3% | +5.3% |
| 2007 | 6.6% | +4.9% |
| 2008 | 6.9% | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 7.2% | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 7.4% | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 7.7% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 7.9% | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 8.1% | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 8.4% | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 8.7% | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 9.0% | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 9.3% | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 9.7% | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 10.0% | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 10.4% | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 10.8% | +3.8% |
| 2022 | 11.2% | +3.8% |
| 2023 | 11.6% | +3.8% |
| 2024 | 12.1% | +3.7% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 12.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.6%, 83% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 12.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11.6%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.6% | 1.3% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.1% | 2.2% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.8% | 4.4% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.6% | 7.4% | 10.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.2% | 10.4% | 12.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More reference data data for Nigeria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 19.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 81.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 121.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 14.27 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Nigeria?
- Share of adults who are obese in Nigeria was 12.1% 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 12.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 1980.
- How does Nigeria rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Nigeria ranks 155th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 43.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.