Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of adults who are overweight or obese was 42.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Lesotho, 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 Lesotho stood at 42.1%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are overweight or obese in Lesotho peaked at 42.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 26.3%, in 1980.
Lesotho ranks 142nd of 199 countries on this measure, 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 Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 26.3% | — |
| 1981 | 26.5% | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 26.7% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 26.9% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 27.1% | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 27.4% | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 27.8% | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 28.2% | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 28.5% | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 28.8% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 29.0% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 29.3% | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 29.6% | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 29.9% | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 30.2% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 30.5% | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 30.9% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 31.2% | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 31.6% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 32.0% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 32.4% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 32.9% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 33.3% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 33.7% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 34.1% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 34.6% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 35.0% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 35.4% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 35.8% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 36.2% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 36.5% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 36.9% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 37.3% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 37.7% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 38.2% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 38.6% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 39.0% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 39.4% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 39.8% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 40.2% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 40.6% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 41.0% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 41.3% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 41.7% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 42.1% | +0.9% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 42.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 40.7%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 42.1% 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 | 27.4% | 26.3% | 28.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 30.5% | 29.0% | 32.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.3% | 32.4% | 36.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.4% | 36.5% | 40.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.3% | 40.6% | 42.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More reference data data for Lesotho
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0331 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5388 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0101 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1115 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0549 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are overweight or obese in Lesotho?
- Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Lesotho was 42.1% 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 Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 42.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are overweight or obese recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.3% in 1980.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of adults who are overweight or obese?
- Lesotho ranks 142nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho 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.