Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Kenya
Kenya: Share of adults who are overweight or obese was 32.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Kenya, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 32.1% 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 1.9% on the previous year and up 23.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are overweight or obese in Kenya peaked at 32.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.1%, in 1980.
Kenya ranks 170th 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 Kenya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 8.1% | — |
| 1981 | 8.4% | +3.8% |
| 1982 | 8.7% | +3.8% |
| 1983 | 9.1% | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 9.4% | +3.9% |
| 1985 | 9.8% | +3.9% |
| 1986 | 10.2% | +3.9% |
| 1987 | 10.6% | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 11.0% | +3.9% |
| 1989 | 11.4% | +3.9% |
| 1990 | 11.8% | +3.8% |
| 1991 | 12.3% | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 12.8% | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 13.2% | +3.8% |
| 1994 | 13.7% | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 14.2% | +3.7% |
| 1996 | 14.8% | +3.7% |
| 1997 | 15.3% | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 15.9% | +3.8% |
| 1999 | 16.5% | +3.8% |
| 2000 | 17.1% | +3.8% |
| 2001 | 17.8% | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 18.4% | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 19.1% | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 19.8% | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 20.4% | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 21.1% | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 21.7% | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 22.3% | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 22.9% | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 23.6% | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 24.2% | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 24.8% | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 25.4% | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 26.1% | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 26.7% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 27.3% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 27.9% | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 28.6% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 29.1% | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 29.7% | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 30.3% | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 30.9% | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 31.5% | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 32.1% | +1.9% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 32.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 40.7%, 79% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 32.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 33.6%, 96% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.7% | 8.1% | 11.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.1% | 11.8% | 16.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.1% | 17.1% | 22.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.4% | 23.6% | 29.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.9% | 29.7% | 32.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More reference data data for Kenya
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5379 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 12.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.377 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 14.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 58.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 68.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.05 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are overweight or obese in Kenya?
- Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Kenya was 32.1% 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 32.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are overweight or obese recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.1% in 1980.
- How does Kenya rank for share of adults who are overweight or obese?
- Kenya ranks 170th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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.