Share of adults who are obese in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Share of adults who are obese was 30.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in United Arab Emirates, 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 United Arab Emirates stood at 30.3%.
The figure is down 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in United Arab Emirates peaked at 30.9% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 11.4%, in 1980.
United Arab Emirates ranks 69th 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 United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 11.4% | — |
| 1981 | 12.0% | +5.4% |
| 1982 | 12.7% | +5.6% |
| 1983 | 13.4% | +5.5% |
| 1984 | 14.1% | +5.5% |
| 1985 | 14.9% | +5.4% |
| 1986 | 15.6% | +4.5% |
| 1987 | 16.1% | +3.5% |
| 1988 | 16.6% | +3.3% |
| 1989 | 17.2% | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 17.7% | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 18.3% | +3.4% |
| 1992 | 19.0% | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 19.7% | +3.7% |
| 1994 | 20.5% | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 21.3% | +4.0% |
| 1996 | 22.0% | +3.5% |
| 1997 | 22.6% | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 23.2% | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 23.8% | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 24.5% | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 25.1% | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 25.8% | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 26.5% | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 27.1% | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 27.8% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 28.4% | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 28.9% | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 29.3% | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 29.7% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 30.0% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 30.3% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 30.5% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 30.6% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 30.7% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 30.8% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 30.9% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 30.9% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 30.8% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 30.7% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 30.5% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 30.4% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 30.2% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 30.3% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 30.3% | +0.0% |
United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries
- United Arab Emirates's 30.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 30.0%, 1.0× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- United Arab Emirates's 30.3% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 30.3%, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 14.4% | 11.4% | 17.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.8% | 17.7% | 23.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.3% | 24.5% | 29.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.6% | 30.0% | 30.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.3% | 30.2% | 30.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
More reference data data for United Arab Emirates
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0407 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.4839 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.6291 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0001 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.6291 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1364 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0486 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0008 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in United Arab Emirates?
- Share of adults who are obese in United Arab Emirates was 30.3% 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 United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 30.9% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.4% in 1980.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for share of adults who are obese?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 69th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates 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.