Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Benin
Benin: Share of adults who are overweight or obese was 31.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Benin, 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 Benin is 31.5%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 20.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are overweight or obese in Benin peaked at 31.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.7%, in 1980.
That places Benin 173rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Benin, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 5.7% | — |
| 1981 | 6.0% | +5.4% |
| 1982 | 6.3% | +5.4% |
| 1983 | 6.7% | +5.5% |
| 1984 | 7.0% | +5.5% |
| 1985 | 7.4% | +5.5% |
| 1986 | 7.8% | +5.5% |
| 1987 | 8.3% | +5.5% |
| 1988 | 8.7% | +5.5% |
| 1989 | 9.2% | +5.5% |
| 1990 | 9.7% | +5.5% |
| 1991 | 10.2% | +5.5% |
| 1992 | 10.8% | +5.5% |
| 1993 | 11.4% | +5.5% |
| 1994 | 12.0% | +5.5% |
| 1995 | 12.7% | +5.5% |
| 1996 | 13.4% | +5.5% |
| 1997 | 14.1% | +5.6% |
| 1998 | 14.9% | +5.6% |
| 1999 | 15.8% | +5.6% |
| 2000 | 16.6% | +5.4% |
| 2001 | 17.5% | +5.3% |
| 2002 | 18.4% | +5.0% |
| 2003 | 19.3% | +4.8% |
| 2004 | 20.1% | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 21.0% | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 21.7% | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 22.5% | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 23.2% | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 23.8% | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 24.3% | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 24.8% | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 25.3% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 25.7% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 26.2% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 26.6% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 27.1% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 27.6% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 28.1% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 28.6% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 29.2% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 29.7% | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 30.3% | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 30.9% | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 31.5% | +1.9% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 31.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 40.7%, 77% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Benin's 31.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 33.6%, 94% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.3% | 5.7% | 9.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.5% | 9.7% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.4% | 16.6% | 23.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.4% | 24.3% | 28.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.3% | 29.2% | 31.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More reference data data for Benin
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1979 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1562 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6635 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.5244 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8505 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are overweight or obese in Benin?
- Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Benin was 31.5% 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 Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 31.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are overweight or obese recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.7% in 1980.
- How does Benin rank for share of adults who are overweight or obese?
- Benin ranks 173rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Benin 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.