Share of adults who are obese in Somalia
Somalia: Share of adults who are obese was 13.0% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of adults who are obese in Somalia, 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 Somalia stood at 13.0%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.1% on the previous year and up 45.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Somalia peaked at 13.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 1980.
That places Somalia 150th 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 Somalia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1.9% | — |
| 1981 | 2.0% | +3.6% |
| 1982 | 2.0% | +3.7% |
| 1983 | 2.1% | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 2.2% | +4.0% |
| 1985 | 2.3% | +4.1% |
| 1986 | 2.4% | +4.2% |
| 1987 | 2.5% | +4.3% |
| 1988 | 2.6% | +4.5% |
| 1989 | 2.7% | +4.7% |
| 1990 | 2.8% | +4.8% |
| 1991 | 3.0% | +4.7% |
| 1992 | 3.1% | +4.6% |
| 1993 | 3.3% | +4.7% |
| 1994 | 3.4% | +4.9% |
| 1995 | 3.6% | +5.0% |
| 1996 | 3.8% | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 4.0% | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 4.2% | +5.3% |
| 1999 | 4.4% | +5.4% |
| 2000 | 4.6% | +5.4% |
| 2001 | 4.9% | +5.4% |
| 2002 | 5.2% | +5.3% |
| 2003 | 5.4% | +5.3% |
| 2004 | 5.7% | +5.2% |
| 2005 | 6.0% | +5.0% |
| 2006 | 6.3% | +4.9% |
| 2007 | 6.6% | +4.9% |
| 2008 | 6.9% | +5.0% |
| 2009 | 7.3% | +5.0% |
| 2010 | 7.6% | +4.7% |
| 2011 | 7.9% | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 8.2% | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 8.6% | +4.1% |
| 2014 | 8.9% | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 9.3% | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 9.6% | +3.9% |
| 2017 | 10.0% | +3.8% |
| 2018 | 10.4% | +3.9% |
| 2019 | 10.8% | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 11.2% | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 11.6% | +3.7% |
| 2022 | 12.0% | +3.7% |
| 2023 | 12.5% | +3.9% |
| 2024 | 13.0% | +4.1% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 13.0% is above the median for low income countries, which is 8.2%, 1.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 13.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11.6%, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.3% | 1.9% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.6% | 2.8% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.9% | 4.6% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.1% | 7.6% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.1% | 11.2% | 13.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
More reference data data for Somalia
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Enteric Fermentation 28,272 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 1,290 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure left on 11,072 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure Management 96.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure applied 234.3 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 11,478 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 40,976 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 31.39 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 32.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Burning - Crop residues 15.5 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Somalia?
- Share of adults who are obese in Somalia was 13.0% 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 Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 13.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 1980.
- How does Somalia rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Somalia ranks 150th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 45.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Somalia 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.