Share of adults who are obese in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Share of adults who are obese was 13.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in Zimbabwe, 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 Zimbabwe stood at 13.1%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 42.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Zimbabwe peaked at 13.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.6%, in 1982.
That places Zimbabwe 148th 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 Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 4.7% | — |
| 1981 | 4.6% | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 4.6% | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 4.6% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 4.7% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 4.7% | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 4.7% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 4.7% | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 4.8% | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 4.8% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 4.8% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 4.9% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 4.9% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 5.0% | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 5.1% | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 5.2% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 5.2% | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 5.3% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 5.3% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 5.4% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 5.5% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 5.6% | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 5.7% | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 5.9% | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 6.1% | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 6.3% | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 6.5% | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 6.8% | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 7.0% | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 7.3% | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 7.7% | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 8.0% | +4.5% |
| 2012 | 8.4% | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 8.8% | +4.9% |
| 2014 | 9.2% | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 9.7% | +4.7% |
| 2016 | 10.1% | +4.4% |
| 2017 | 10.5% | +4.0% |
| 2018 | 10.9% | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 11.3% | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 11.6% | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 12.0% | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 12.4% | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 12.7% | +3.0% |
| 2024 | 13.1% | +3.0% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 13.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.6%, 90% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 13.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11.6%, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.7% | 4.6% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.1% | 4.8% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.3% | 5.5% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.4% | 7.7% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.4% | 11.6% | 13.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More reference data data for Zimbabwe
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Political opposition, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament and government, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2024)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 122.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Zimbabwe?
- Share of adults who are obese in Zimbabwe was 13.1% 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 13.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.6% in 1982.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Zimbabwe ranks 148th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.