Share of adults who are obese in Rwanda

Rwanda: Share of adults who are obese was 5.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
5.2%
Change on year
up 6.3%
World rank
191st
of 199 countries
All-time high
5.2%
in 2024
All-time low
0.4%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

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

0123451980200220241980: 0.353 %1981: 0.362 %1982: 0.373 %1983: 0.385 %1984: 0.399 %1985: 0.414 %1986: 0.431 %1987: 0.449 %1988: 0.468 %1989: 0.49 %1990: 0.513 %1991: 0.538 %1992: 0.565 %1993: 0.594 %1994: 0.63 %1995: 0.671 %1996: 0.707 %1997: 0.747 %1998: 0.796 %1999: 0.854 %2000: 0.918 %2001: 0.989 %2002: 1.1 %2003: 1.1 %2004: 1.2 %2005: 1.3 %2006: 1.4 %2007: 1.5 %2008: 1.6 %2009: 1.8 %2010: 1.9 %2011: 2.1 %2012: 2.2 %2013: 2.4 %2014: 2.6 %2015: 2.8 %2016: 3.1 %2017: 3.3 %2018: 3.6 %2019: 3.8 %2020: 4.1 %2021: 4.3 %2022: 4.6 %2023: 4.9 %2024: 5.2 %

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 Rwanda stood at 5.2%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.3% on the previous year and up 98.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Rwanda peaked at 5.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1980.

Rwanda ranks 191st of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.4% 0.4% 0.5% 10
1990s 0.7% 0.5% 0.9% 10
2000s 1.3% 0.9% 1.8% 10
2010s 2.8% 1.9% 3.8% 10
2020s 4.6% 4.1% 5.2% 5

Countries ranked near Rwanda

  1. 188 Niger 6.0% compare
  2. 189 Democratic Republic of Congo 5.9% compare
  3. 190 Bangladesh 5.7% compare
  4. 192 Japan 5.2% compare
  5. 193 Cambodia 4.9% compare
  6. 194 Burundi 4.7% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Rwanda

All data for Rwanda →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of adults who are obese in Rwanda?
Share of adults who are obese in Rwanda was 5.2% 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 Rwanda?
The highest recorded value was 5.2% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Rwanda?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1980.
How does Rwanda rank for share of adults who are obese?
Rwanda ranks 191st out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Rwanda?
Over the last ten years it is up 98.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Rwanda 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.