Share of adults who are obese in Vanuatu
Vanuatu: Share of adults who are obese was 21.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in Vanuatu, 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 Vanuatu stood at 21.6%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 22.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Vanuatu peaked at 21.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.4%, in 1980.
That places Vanuatu 116th out of 199 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.
Share of adults who are obese in Vanuatu, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 9.4% | — |
| 1981 | 9.6% | +2.3% |
| 1982 | 9.8% | +2.4% |
| 1983 | 10.1% | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 10.3% | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 10.6% | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 10.9% | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 11.2% | +2.6% |
| 1988 | 11.5% | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 11.7% | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 12.0% | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 12.2% | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 12.5% | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 12.7% | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 13.0% | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 13.3% | +2.4% |
| 1996 | 13.7% | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 14.1% | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 14.3% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 14.5% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 14.8% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 15.0% | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 15.2% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 15.4% | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 15.6% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 15.8% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 16.0% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 16.2% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 16.4% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 16.6% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 16.8% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 17.0% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 17.2% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 17.4% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 17.6% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 17.9% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 18.3% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 18.6% | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 19.1% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 19.5% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 19.9% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 20.3% | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 20.8% | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 21.2% | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 21.6% | +2.0% |
Vanuatu compared with similar countries
- Vanuatu's 21.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.6%, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Vanuatu's 21.6% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 24.6%, 88% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.5% | 9.4% | 11.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.2% | 12.0% | 14.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.7% | 14.8% | 16.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.9% | 16.8% | 19.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.8% | 19.9% | 21.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Vanuatu
- 113 Mauritania 22.1% compare
- 114 Morocco 22.0% compare
- 115 Gabon 21.8% compare
- 117 Kyrgyzstan 21.5% compare
- 118 Russia 21.2% compare
- 119 Turkmenistan 21.2% compare
More reference data data for Vanuatu
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0174 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0819 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0994 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0001 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0994 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0583 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0658 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.4612 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.5857 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0003 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Vanuatu?
- Share of adults who are obese in Vanuatu was 21.6% 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 Vanuatu?
- The highest recorded value was 21.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Vanuatu?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.4% in 1980.
- How does Vanuatu rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Vanuatu ranks 116th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Vanuatu?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Vanuatu 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.