Share of adults who are obese in Syria
Syria: Share of adults who are obese was 29.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in Syria, 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 Syria stood at 29.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Syria peaked at 30.0% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 11.6%, in 1980.
Syria ranks 70th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of adults who are obese in Syria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 11.6% | — |
| 1981 | 11.9% | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 12.2% | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 12.5% | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 12.8% | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 13.2% | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 13.5% | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 13.8% | +2.6% |
| 1988 | 14.2% | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 14.6% | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 15.0% | +2.7% |
| 1991 | 15.4% | +2.7% |
| 1992 | 15.8% | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 16.2% | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 16.7% | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 17.1% | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 17.6% | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 18.1% | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 18.7% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 19.2% | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 19.8% | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 20.4% | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 20.9% | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 21.5% | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 22.0% | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 22.5% | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 23.0% | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 23.4% | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 23.9% | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 24.5% | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 25.1% | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 25.7% | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 26.4% | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 27.3% | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 28.3% | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 29.2% | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 29.7% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 30.0% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 30.0% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 29.9% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 29.8% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 29.9% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 29.8% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 29.8% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 29.9% | +0.4% |
Syria compared with similar countries
- Syria's 29.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 8.2%, 3.7× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Syria's 29.9% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 30.3%, 99% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 13.0% | 11.6% | 14.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.0% | 15.0% | 19.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.2% | 19.8% | 24.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.2% | 25.1% | 30.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.9% | 29.8% | 29.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Syria
More reference data data for Syria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1191 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.5377 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 7.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3995 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1542 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 16.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 29.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.93 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Syria?
- Share of adults who are obese in Syria was 29.9% 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 Syria?
- The highest recorded value was 30.0% in 2018.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Syria?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.6% in 1980.
- How does Syria rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Syria ranks 70th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Syria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Syria 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.