Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Botswana
Botswana: Share of adults who are overweight or obese was 43.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Botswana, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Botswana recorded 43.1% for share of adults who are overweight or obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are overweight or obese in Botswana peaked at 43.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 14.2%, in 1980.
That places Botswana 141st 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 overweight or obese in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 14.2% | — |
| 1981 | 14.7% | +3.5% |
| 1982 | 15.2% | +3.5% |
| 1983 | 15.7% | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 16.3% | +3.6% |
| 1985 | 16.9% | +3.6% |
| 1986 | 17.5% | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 18.1% | +3.6% |
| 1988 | 18.7% | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 19.4% | +3.6% |
| 1990 | 20.1% | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 20.8% | +3.6% |
| 1992 | 21.6% | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 22.3% | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 23.0% | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 23.8% | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 24.6% | +3.3% |
| 1997 | 25.4% | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 26.2% | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 27.1% | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 27.9% | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 28.7% | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 29.6% | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 30.4% | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 31.2% | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 32.0% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 32.8% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 33.5% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 34.1% | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 34.8% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 35.4% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 36.0% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 36.5% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 37.0% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 37.6% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 38.1% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 38.6% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 39.2% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 39.7% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 40.3% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 40.8% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 41.4% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 41.9% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 42.5% | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 43.1% | +1.4% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 43.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 61.2%, 70% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 43.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 33.6%, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 16.7% | 14.2% | 19.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.5% | 20.1% | 27.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 31.5% | 27.9% | 34.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.8% | 35.4% | 40.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.0% | 40.8% | 43.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More reference data data for Botswana
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0472 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0078 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0825 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0424 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are overweight or obese in Botswana?
- Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Botswana was 43.1% 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 overweight or obese recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 43.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are overweight or obese recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.2% in 1980.
- How does Botswana rank for share of adults who are overweight or obese?
- Botswana ranks 141st out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Botswana 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.