Share of adults who are obese in Panama
Panama: Share of adults who are obese was 37.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of adults who are obese in Panama, 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 Panama stood at 37.8%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 32.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Panama peaked at 37.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.2%, in 1980.
Panama ranks 28th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of adults who are obese in Panama, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 6.2% | — |
| 1981 | 6.5% | +4.5% |
| 1982 | 6.8% | +4.6% |
| 1983 | 7.1% | +4.8% |
| 1984 | 7.5% | +4.8% |
| 1985 | 7.8% | +4.9% |
| 1986 | 8.2% | +5.0% |
| 1987 | 8.6% | +5.1% |
| 1988 | 9.1% | +5.1% |
| 1989 | 9.6% | +5.1% |
| 1990 | 10.0% | +5.2% |
| 1991 | 10.6% | +5.2% |
| 1992 | 11.1% | +5.2% |
| 1993 | 11.7% | +5.2% |
| 1994 | 12.3% | +5.2% |
| 1995 | 13.0% | +5.2% |
| 1996 | 13.6% | +5.2% |
| 1997 | 14.3% | +5.1% |
| 1998 | 15.0% | +5.0% |
| 1999 | 15.8% | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 16.5% | +4.8% |
| 2001 | 17.3% | +4.6% |
| 2002 | 18.1% | +4.4% |
| 2003 | 18.9% | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 19.6% | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 20.5% | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 21.3% | +4.0% |
| 2007 | 22.1% | +4.0% |
| 2008 | 23.0% | +3.9% |
| 2009 | 23.9% | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 24.8% | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 25.7% | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 26.7% | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 27.6% | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 28.6% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 29.5% | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 30.4% | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 31.4% | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 32.3% | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 33.2% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 34.1% | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 35.0% | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 35.9% | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 36.8% | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 37.8% | +2.5% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 37.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 30.0%, 1.3× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Panama's 37.8% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 33.2%, 1.1× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.7% | 6.2% | 9.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.7% | 10.0% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.1% | 16.5% | 23.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.0% | 24.8% | 33.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.9% | 34.1% | 37.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Panama
More reference data data for Panama
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1446 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.6179 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.9793 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0285 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.9793 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4849 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2267 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.08 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1553 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Panama?
- Share of adults who are obese in Panama was 37.8% 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 Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 37.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.2% in 1980.
- How does Panama rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Panama ranks 28th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Panama 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.