Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Malawi
Malawi: Share of adults who are overweight or obese was 26.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Malawi, 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 Malawi stood at 26.1%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 30.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are overweight or obese in Malawi peaked at 26.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.8%, in 1980.
Malawi ranks 185th 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 Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 6.8% | — |
| 1981 | 7.0% | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 7.2% | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 7.4% | +3.0% |
| 1984 | 7.6% | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 7.9% | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 8.1% | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 8.4% | +3.1% |
| 1988 | 8.6% | +3.2% |
| 1989 | 8.9% | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 9.2% | +3.2% |
| 1991 | 9.5% | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 9.8% | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 10.1% | +3.3% |
| 1994 | 10.4% | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 10.8% | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 11.2% | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 11.5% | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 12.0% | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 12.4% | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 12.8% | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 13.3% | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 13.8% | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 14.3% | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 14.8% | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 15.3% | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 15.8% | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 16.3% | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 16.8% | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 17.3% | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 17.8% | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 18.3% | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 18.9% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 19.4% | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 20.0% | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 20.5% | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 21.1% | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 21.7% | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 22.3% | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 23.0% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 23.6% | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 24.2% | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 24.8% | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 25.5% | +2.6% |
| 2024 | 26.1% | +2.6% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 26.1% is below the median for low income countries, which is 26.6%, 98% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 26.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 33.6%, 78% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.8% | 6.8% | 8.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.7% | 9.2% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.0% | 12.8% | 17.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.3% | 17.8% | 23.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.8% | 23.6% | 26.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 182 Central African Republic 26.7% compare
- 183 Cambodia 26.6% compare
- 184 Uganda 26.6% compare
- 186 Sierra Leone 25.3% compare
- 187 South Sudan 25.1% compare
- 188 Japan 24.4% compare
More reference data data for Malawi
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1596 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3426 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5353 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.6012 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.87 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are overweight or obese in Malawi?
- Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Malawi was 26.1% 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 26.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are overweight or obese recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.8% in 1980.
- How does Malawi rank for share of adults who are overweight or obese?
- Malawi ranks 185th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi 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.