Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Vanuatu
Vanuatu: Share of adults who are overweight or obese was 50.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Vanuatu, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Vanuatu recorded 50.8% for share of adults who are overweight or obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are overweight or obese in Vanuatu peaked at 50.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 37.8%, in 1980.
Vanuatu ranks 125th 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 Vanuatu, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 37.8% | — |
| 1981 | 38.2% | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 38.6% | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 39.0% | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 39.4% | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 39.9% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 40.3% | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 40.7% | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 41.2% | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 41.6% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 42.0% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 42.4% | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 42.8% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 43.2% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 43.6% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 43.9% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 44.3% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 44.6% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 45.0% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 45.3% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 45.6% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 45.9% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 46.2% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 46.4% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 46.7% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 47.0% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 47.2% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 47.4% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 47.6% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 47.8% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 48.0% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 48.2% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 48.4% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 48.5% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 48.7% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 48.9% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 49.1% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 49.3% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 49.5% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 49.7% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 49.9% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 50.2% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 50.4% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 50.6% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 50.8% | +0.5% |
Vanuatu compared with similar countries
- Vanuatu's 50.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 40.7%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Vanuatu's 50.8% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 56.0%, 91% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 39.7% | 37.8% | 41.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 43.7% | 42.0% | 45.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 46.8% | 45.6% | 47.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.8% | 48.0% | 49.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 50.4% | 49.9% | 50.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Vanuatu
More reference data data for Vanuatu
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0174 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0819 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0994 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0001 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0994 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0583 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0658 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.4612 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.5857 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0003 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are overweight or obese in Vanuatu?
- Share of adults who are overweight or obese in Vanuatu was 50.8% 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 Vanuatu?
- The highest recorded value was 50.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are overweight or obese recorded in Vanuatu?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.8% in 1980.
- How does Vanuatu rank for share of adults who are overweight or obese?
- Vanuatu ranks 125th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Vanuatu?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Vanuatu 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.