Share of men who are obese in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Share of men who are obese was 14.6% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of men who are obese in Afghanistan, 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 men who are obese in Afghanistan stood at 14.6%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.2% on the previous year and up 59.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men who are obese in Afghanistan peaked at 14.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1980.
That places Afghanistan 128th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of men who are obese in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.9% | — |
| 1981 | 0.9% | +6.4% |
| 1982 | 1.0% | +6.6% |
| 1983 | 1.1% | +6.8% |
| 1984 | 1.2% | +7.0% |
| 1985 | 1.2% | +7.1% |
| 1986 | 1.3% | +7.2% |
| 1987 | 1.4% | +7.3% |
| 1988 | 1.5% | +7.4% |
| 1989 | 1.6% | +7.5% |
| 1990 | 1.8% | +7.5% |
| 1991 | 1.9% | +7.6% |
| 1992 | 2.0% | +7.6% |
| 1993 | 2.2% | +7.7% |
| 1994 | 2.4% | +7.7% |
| 1995 | 2.6% | +7.8% |
| 1996 | 2.8% | +7.9% |
| 1997 | 3.0% | +7.9% |
| 1998 | 3.2% | +8.0% |
| 1999 | 3.5% | +8.0% |
| 2000 | 3.7% | +8.0% |
| 2001 | 4.0% | +7.9% |
| 2002 | 4.4% | +7.8% |
| 2003 | 4.7% | +7.6% |
| 2004 | 5.0% | +7.4% |
| 2005 | 5.4% | +7.2% |
| 2006 | 5.8% | +7.0% |
| 2007 | 6.2% | +6.8% |
| 2008 | 6.6% | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 7.0% | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 7.4% | +6.0% |
| 2011 | 7.8% | +5.8% |
| 2012 | 8.3% | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 8.7% | +5.5% |
| 2014 | 9.2% | +5.4% |
| 2015 | 9.7% | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 10.2% | +5.3% |
| 2017 | 10.7% | +5.1% |
| 2018 | 11.2% | +4.9% |
| 2019 | 11.8% | +4.8% |
| 2020 | 12.3% | +4.6% |
| 2021 | 12.9% | +4.5% |
| 2022 | 13.4% | +4.4% |
| 2023 | 14.0% | +4.3% |
| 2024 | 14.6% | +4.2% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 14.6% is above the median for low income countries, which is 5.7%, 2.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 14.6% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 25.5%, 57% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.5% | 1.8% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.3% | 3.7% | 7.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.5% | 7.4% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.5% | 12.3% | 14.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More reference data data for Afghanistan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.8991 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4362 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 6.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.847 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 18.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 26.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.38 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of men who are obese in Afghanistan?
- Share of men who are obese in Afghanistan was 14.6% 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 men who are obese recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 14.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of men who are obese recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1980.
- How does Afghanistan rank for share of men who are obese?
- Afghanistan ranks 128th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men who are obese rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 59.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Afghanistan 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 men who are 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
Obesity is defined as having a body-mass index (BMI) equal to, or greater than, 30. BMI is a person's weight (in kilograms) divided by their height (in meters) squared.