Share of adults who are obese in Tonga
Tonga: Share of adults who are obese was 72.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in Tonga, 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 Tonga stood at 72.3%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Tonga peaked at 72.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 37.1%, in 1980.
Tonga ranks 3rd of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of adults who are obese in Tonga, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 37.1% | — |
| 1981 | 37.9% | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 38.7% | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 39.5% | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 40.2% | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 40.9% | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 41.5% | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 42.2% | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 42.9% | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 43.7% | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 44.5% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 45.4% | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 46.2% | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 47.0% | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 47.8% | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 48.5% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 49.2% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 49.8% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 50.5% | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 51.1% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 51.8% | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 52.6% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 53.3% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 54.0% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 54.8% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 55.6% | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 56.4% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 57.2% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 58.1% | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 59.1% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 60.0% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 60.9% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 61.8% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 62.7% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 63.6% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 64.6% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 65.5% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 66.5% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 67.4% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 68.3% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 69.2% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 70.0% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 70.8% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 71.6% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 72.3% | +1.0% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's 72.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 28.6%, 2.5× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Tonga's 72.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 24.6%, 2.9× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 40.5% | 37.1% | 43.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 48.0% | 44.5% | 51.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 55.3% | 51.8% | 59.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.1% | 60.0% | 68.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.8% | 69.2% | 72.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
- 1 American Samoa 75.8% compare
- 2 Cook Islands 72.4% compare
- 4 Nauru 71.4% compare
- 5 Tokelau 70.0% compare
- 6 Niue 66.2% compare
More reference data data for Tonga
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0105 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0092 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0197 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0197 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0353 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0269 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0446 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.1068 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0799 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure applied 9.35 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Tonga?
- Share of adults who are obese in Tonga was 72.3% 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 Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 72.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.1% in 1980.
- How does Tonga rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Tonga ranks 3rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tonga 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.