Share of adults who are obese in Palau
Palau: Share of adults who are obese was 42.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in Palau, 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 Palau stood at 42.1%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Palau peaked at 42.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 24.8%, in 1980.
That places Palau 17th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of adults who are obese in Palau, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 24.8% | — |
| 1981 | 25.3% | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 25.8% | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 26.4% | +2.3% |
| 1984 | 27.1% | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 27.8% | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 28.6% | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 29.3% | +2.7% |
| 1988 | 30.2% | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 31.0% | +2.7% |
| 1990 | 31.7% | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 32.3% | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 32.9% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 33.5% | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 34.2% | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 34.9% | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 35.4% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 35.9% | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 36.4% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 36.9% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 37.4% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 37.9% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 38.3% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 38.6% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 39.0% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 39.3% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 39.6% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 39.8% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 40.0% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 40.1% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 40.3% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 40.5% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 40.6% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 40.7% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 40.8% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 40.9% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 41.0% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 41.2% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 41.4% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 41.5% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 41.7% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 41.8% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 41.9% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 42.0% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 42.1% | +0.2% |
Palau compared with similar countries
- Palau's 42.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 30.0%, 1.4× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Palau's 42.1% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 24.6%, 1.7× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 27.6% | 24.8% | 31.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 34.4% | 31.7% | 36.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 39.0% | 37.4% | 40.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.9% | 40.3% | 41.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.9% | 41.7% | 42.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Palau
More reference data data for Palau
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Elected parliament and government, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political opposition, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country 2 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating 1 (2025)
- Consumer price index 160.77 2010 = 100 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Palau?
- Share of adults who are obese in Palau was 42.1% 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 Palau?
- The highest recorded value was 42.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Palau?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.8% in 1980.
- How does Palau rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Palau ranks 17th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Palau?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Palau 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.