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Share of adults who are obese in Tanzania

Tanzania: Share of adults who are obese was 10.5% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
10.5%
Change on year
up 4.8%
World rank
168th
of 199 countries
All-time high
10.5%
in 2024
All-time low
1.0%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

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

2468101980200220241980: 1 %1981: 1.1 %1982: 1.1 %1983: 1.2 %1984: 1.2 %1985: 1.3 %1986: 1.4 %1987: 1.5 %1988: 1.5 %1989: 1.6 %1990: 1.7 %1991: 1.8 %1992: 1.9 %1993: 2 %1994: 2.1 %1995: 2.2 %1996: 2.3 %1997: 2.5 %1998: 2.7 %1999: 2.8 %2000: 3 %2001: 3.2 %2002: 3.4 %2003: 3.6 %2004: 3.9 %2005: 4.1 %2006: 4.3 %2007: 4.6 %2008: 4.9 %2009: 5.2 %2010: 5.4 %2011: 5.7 %2012: 6 %2013: 6.3 %2014: 6.6 %2015: 7 %2016: 7.3 %2017: 7.6 %2018: 8 %2019: 8.3 %2020: 8.7 %2021: 9.1 %2022: 9.5 %2023: 10 %2024: 10.5 %

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Tanzania recorded 10.5% for share of adults who are obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

That represents a change of up 4.8% on the previous year and up 57.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Tanzania peaked at 10.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 1980.

Tanzania ranks 168th 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 1.3% 1.0% 1.6% 10
1990s 2.2% 1.7% 2.8% 10
2000s 4.0% 3.0% 5.2% 10
2010s 6.8% 5.4% 8.3% 10
2020s 9.6% 8.7% 10.5% 5

Countries ranked near Tanzania

  1. 165 Gambia 11.2% compare
  2. 166 Benin 10.9% compare
  3. 167 Haiti 10.7% compare
  4. 169 Kenya 10.4% compare
  5. 170 Senegal 10.3% compare
  6. 171 Zambia 10.1% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Tanzania

All data for Tanzania →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of adults who are obese in Tanzania?
Share of adults who are obese in Tanzania was 10.5% 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 Tanzania?
The highest recorded value was 10.5% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Tanzania?
The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 1980.
How does Tanzania rank for share of adults who are obese?
Tanzania ranks 168th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Tanzania?
Over the last ten years it is up 57.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Tanzania 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.