Share of men who are obese in China

China: Share of men who are obese was 10.0% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
10.0%
Change on year
up 7.1%
World rank
144th
of 199 countries
All-time high
10.0%
in 2024
All-time low
0.3%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Share of men who are obese in China, 1980–2024

02468101980200220241980: 0.329 %1981: 0.353 %1982: 0.381 %1983: 0.413 %1984: 0.45 %1985: 0.492 %1986: 0.538 %1987: 0.59 %1988: 0.648 %1989: 0.712 %1990: 0.78 %1991: 0.854 %1992: 0.931 %1993: 1 %1994: 1.1 %1995: 1.2 %1996: 1.3 %1997: 1.4 %1998: 1.5 %1999: 1.6 %2000: 1.7 %2001: 1.8 %2002: 2 %2003: 2.1 %2004: 2.3 %2005: 2.5 %2006: 2.7 %2007: 2.9 %2008: 3.1 %2009: 3.4 %2010: 3.7 %2011: 3.9 %2012: 4.2 %2013: 4.6 %2014: 4.9 %2015: 5.3 %2016: 5.7 %2017: 6.1 %2018: 6.6 %2019: 7.1 %2020: 7.6 %2021: 8.1 %2022: 8.7 %2023: 9.3 %2024: 10 %

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 China stood at 10.0%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

That represents a change of up 7.1% on the previous year and up 103.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of men who are obese in China peaked at 10.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1980.

That places China 144th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.5% 0.3% 0.7% 10
1990s 1.2% 0.8% 1.6% 10
2000s 2.5% 1.7% 3.4% 10
2010s 5.2% 3.7% 7.1% 10
2020s 8.7% 7.6% 10.0% 5

Countries ranked near China

  1. 141 South Korea 10.4% compare
  2. 142 Yemen 10.3% compare
  3. 143 Sao Tome and Principe 10.3% compare
  4. 145 Bhutan 9.8% compare
  5. 146 Cameroon 9.5% compare
  6. 147 North Korea 9.2% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of men who are obese in China?
Share of men who are obese in China was 10.0% 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 China?
The highest recorded value was 10.0% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of men who are obese recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1980.
How does China rank for share of men who are obese?
China ranks 144th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of men who are obese rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is up 103.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China 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

Indicator
Share of men who are obese
Unit
%
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 8,955 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed

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.