Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Congo
Congo: Share of adults who are overweight or obese was 31.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Congo, 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 overweight or obese in Congo stood at 31.1%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 20.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are overweight or obese in Congo peaked at 31.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.1%, in 1980.
Congo ranks 175th of 199 countries on this measure, 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 Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 8.1% | — |
| 1981 | 8.4% | +4.3% |
| 1982 | 8.8% | +4.4% |
| 1983 | 9.2% | +4.4% |
| 1984 | 9.6% | +4.4% |
| 1985 | 10.0% | +4.4% |
| 1986 | 10.4% | +4.5% |
| 1987 | 10.9% | +4.4% |
| 1988 | 11.4% | +4.4% |
| 1989 | 11.9% | +4.4% |
| 1990 | 12.4% | +4.4% |
| 1991 | 12.9% | +4.3% |
| 1992 | 13.5% | +4.2% |
| 1993 | 14.0% | +4.1% |
| 1994 | 14.6% | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 15.2% | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 15.8% | +3.9% |
| 1997 | 16.4% | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 17.0% | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 17.6% | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 18.3% | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 18.9% | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 19.5% | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 20.2% | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 20.8% | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 21.3% | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 21.9% | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 22.4% | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 23.0% | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 23.4% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 23.9% | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 24.4% | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 24.8% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 25.3% | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 25.8% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 26.3% | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 26.8% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 27.3% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 27.8% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 28.4% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 28.9% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 29.4% | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 30.0% | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 30.6% | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 31.1% | +1.9% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 31.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 40.7%, 76% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Congo's 31.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 33.6%, 93% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.9% | 8.1% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.9% | 12.4% | 17.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.0% | 18.3% | 23.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.1% | 23.9% | 28.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.0% | 28.9% | 31.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Congo
More reference data data for Congo
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0199 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1866 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.2108 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0031 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.2108 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0668 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0724 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9126 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.08 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.017 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are overweight or obese in Congo?
- Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Congo was 31.1% 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 Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 31.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are overweight or obese recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.1% in 1980.
- How does Congo rank for share of adults who are overweight or obese?
- Congo ranks 175th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Congo 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.