Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Rwanda
Rwanda: Share of adults who are overweight or obese was 21.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Rwanda, 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 Rwanda stood at 21.7%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 44.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are overweight or obese in Rwanda peaked at 21.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.5%, in 1980.
That places Rwanda 192nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Rwanda, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 5.5% | — |
| 1981 | 5.6% | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 5.7% | +1.8% |
| 1983 | 5.8% | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 5.9% | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 6.0% | +2.0% |
| 1986 | 6.1% | +2.0% |
| 1987 | 6.3% | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 6.4% | +2.2% |
| 1989 | 6.5% | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 6.7% | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 6.9% | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 7.0% | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 7.2% | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 7.5% | +3.8% |
| 1995 | 7.8% | +4.9% |
| 1996 | 8.0% | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 8.3% | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 8.5% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 8.8% | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 9.0% | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 9.3% | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 9.7% | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 10.0% | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 10.3% | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 10.7% | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 11.1% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 11.5% | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 11.9% | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 12.3% | +3.7% |
| 2010 | 12.8% | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 13.3% | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 13.8% | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 14.4% | +4.0% |
| 2014 | 15.0% | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 15.6% | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 16.2% | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 16.8% | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 17.5% | +3.9% |
| 2019 | 18.1% | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 18.8% | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 19.5% | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 20.2% | +3.6% |
| 2023 | 20.9% | +3.6% |
| 2024 | 21.7% | +3.6% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 21.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 26.6%, 81% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 21.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 33.6%, 65% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.0% | 5.5% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.7% | 6.7% | 8.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.6% | 9.0% | 12.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.3% | 12.8% | 18.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.2% | 18.8% | 21.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
- 189 Burkina Faso 23.6% compare
- 190 Democratic Republic of Congo 22.7% compare
- 191 Chad 22.6% compare
- 193 Vietnam 20.0% compare
- 194 Niger 19.1% compare
- 195 Madagascar 18.1% compare
More reference data data for Rwanda
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2282 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9517 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1223 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7651 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.9517 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.666 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are overweight or obese in Rwanda?
- Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Rwanda was 21.7% 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 21.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are overweight or obese recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.5% in 1980.
- How does Rwanda rank for share of adults who are overweight or obese?
- Rwanda ranks 192nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 44.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda 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.