Share of men who are obese in Malawi

Malawi: Share of men who are obese was 3.3% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
3.3%
Change on year
up 6.0%
World rank
192nd
of 199 countries
All-time high
3.3%
in 2024
All-time low
0.4%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

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

01231980200220241980: 0.377 %1981: 0.392 %1982: 0.409 %1983: 0.428 %1984: 0.449 %1985: 0.473 %1986: 0.498 %1987: 0.525 %1988: 0.555 %1989: 0.587 %1990: 0.622 %1991: 0.659 %1992: 0.698 %1993: 0.739 %1994: 0.783 %1995: 0.829 %1996: 0.878 %1997: 0.93 %1998: 0.985 %1999: 1 %2000: 1.1 %2001: 1.2 %2002: 1.2 %2003: 1.3 %2004: 1.4 %2005: 1.4 %2006: 1.5 %2007: 1.6 %2008: 1.6 %2009: 1.7 %2010: 1.8 %2011: 1.8 %2012: 1.9 %2013: 1.9 %2014: 2 %2015: 2.1 %2016: 2.2 %2017: 2.3 %2018: 2.4 %2019: 2.5 %2020: 2.6 %2021: 2.8 %2022: 2.9 %2023: 3.1 %2024: 3.3 %

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Malawi recorded 3.3% for share of men who are obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.0% on the previous year and up 62.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of men who are obese in Malawi peaked at 3.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1980.

That places Malawi 192nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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% 0.4% 0.6% 10
1990s 0.8% 0.6% 1.0% 10
2000s 1.4% 1.1% 1.7% 10
2010s 2.1% 1.8% 2.5% 10
2020s 2.9% 2.6% 3.3% 5

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 189 Burkina Faso 4.4% compare
  2. 190 Democratic Republic of Congo 4.1% compare
  3. 191 Cambodia 3.6% compare
  4. 193 Sierra Leone 3.0% compare
  5. 194 Bangladesh 2.7% compare
  6. 195 Eritrea 2.6% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of men who are obese in Malawi?
Share of men who are obese in Malawi was 3.3% 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 Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of men who are obese recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1980.
How does Malawi rank for share of men who are obese?
Malawi ranks 192nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of men who are obese rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is up 62.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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 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.