Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Libya
Libya: Share of adults who are overweight or obese was 63.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Libya, 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 Libya is 63.7%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are overweight or obese in Libya peaked at 63.9% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 43.1%, in 1980.
Libya ranks 60th 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 Libya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 43.1% | — |
| 1981 | 43.7% | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 44.3% | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 44.8% | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 45.4% | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 46.1% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 46.9% | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 47.6% | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 48.3% | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 49.0% | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 49.8% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 50.5% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 51.2% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 52.0% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 52.7% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 53.4% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 54.1% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 54.8% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 55.5% | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 56.2% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 56.9% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 57.7% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 58.4% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 59.0% | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 59.7% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 60.2% | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 60.7% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 61.2% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 61.5% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 61.9% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 62.2% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 62.6% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 62.8% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 63.1% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 63.3% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 63.5% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 63.7% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 63.8% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 63.9% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 63.9% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 63.9% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 63.8% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 63.8% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 63.7% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 63.7% | -0.1% |
Libya compared with similar countries
- Libya's 63.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 61.2%, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Libya's 63.7% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 66.1%, 96% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 45.9% | 43.1% | 49.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 53.0% | 49.8% | 56.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 59.7% | 56.9% | 61.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.3% | 62.2% | 63.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 63.8% | 63.7% | 63.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Libya
- 57 Romania 63.8% compare
- 58 Seychelles 63.8% compare
- 59 Uzbekistan 63.7% compare
- 61 Bermuda 63.6% compare
- 62 Saint Lucia 63.3% compare
- 63 Malta 63.2% compare
More reference data data for Libya
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0637 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.021 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2136 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0873 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.82 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.82 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1144 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are overweight or obese in Libya?
- Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Libya was 63.7% 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 Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 63.9% in 2019.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are overweight or obese recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.1% in 1980.
- How does Libya rank for share of adults who are overweight or obese?
- Libya ranks 60th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Libya 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.