Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Belize
Belize: Share of adults who are overweight or obese was 73.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Belize, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of adults who are overweight or obese in Belize is 73.5%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are overweight or obese in Belize peaked at 73.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 35.6%, in 1980.
That places Belize 18th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Belize, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 35.6% | — |
| 1981 | 36.5% | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 37.5% | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 38.4% | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 39.3% | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 40.3% | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 41.3% | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 42.3% | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 43.3% | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 44.4% | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 45.4% | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 46.5% | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 47.6% | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 48.8% | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 49.9% | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 51.1% | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 52.2% | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 53.3% | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 54.4% | +2.1% |
| 1999 | 55.6% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 56.7% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 57.8% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 58.8% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 59.8% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 60.8% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 61.7% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 62.6% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 63.4% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 64.2% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 65.0% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 65.7% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 66.4% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 67.1% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 67.7% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 68.3% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 68.9% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 69.5% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 70.0% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 70.6% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 71.1% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 71.6% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 72.1% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 72.6% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 73.0% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 73.5% | +0.6% |
Belize compared with similar countries
- Belize's 73.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 61.2%, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Belize's 73.5% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 66.0%, 1.1× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 39.9% | 35.6% | 44.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 50.5% | 45.4% | 55.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 61.1% | 56.7% | 65.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.5% | 65.7% | 71.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 72.6% | 71.6% | 73.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Belize
More reference data data for Belize
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0139 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0337 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0813 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0041 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0813 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0467 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0206 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1856 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.399 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0225 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are overweight or obese in Belize?
- Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Belize was 73.5% 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 overweight or obese recorded in Belize?
- The highest recorded value was 73.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are overweight or obese recorded in Belize?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.6% in 1980.
- How does Belize rank for share of adults who are overweight or obese?
- Belize ranks 18th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Belize?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belize 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 overweight or 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
Overweight is defined here as a body mass index (BMI) above 25. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters.