Share of adults defined as obese in South Africa
South Africa: Share of adults defined as obese was 31.3 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults defined as obese in South Africa, 1980–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 31.3 for share of adults defined as obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults defined as obese in South Africa peaked at 31.3 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.41, in 1980.
That places South Africa 56th out of 196 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.17 | 9.41 | 13.14 | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.64 | 13.65 | 19.84 | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.89 | 20.47 | 25.1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.17 | 25.48 | 29.06 | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.41 | 29.51 | 31.3 | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults defined as obese in South Africa?
- Share of adults defined as obese in South Africa was 31.3 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of adults defined as obese recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 31.3 in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults defined as obese recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.41 in 1980.
- How does South Africa rank for share of adults defined as obese?
- South Africa ranks 56th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults defined as obese rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of adults defined as 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).