Share of men who are obese in Malawi
Malawi: Share of men who are obese was 3.3% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of men who are obese in Malawi, 1980–2024
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.
Share of men who are obese in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.4% | — |
| 1981 | 0.4% | +4.1% |
| 1982 | 0.4% | +4.4% |
| 1983 | 0.4% | +4.7% |
| 1984 | 0.4% | +4.9% |
| 1985 | 0.5% | +5.2% |
| 1986 | 0.5% | +5.3% |
| 1987 | 0.5% | +5.5% |
| 1988 | 0.6% | +5.7% |
| 1989 | 0.6% | +5.8% |
| 1990 | 0.6% | +5.9% |
| 1991 | 0.7% | +5.9% |
| 1992 | 0.7% | +5.9% |
| 1993 | 0.7% | +5.9% |
| 1994 | 0.8% | +5.9% |
| 1995 | 0.8% | +5.9% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | +5.9% |
| 1997 | 0.9% | +5.9% |
| 1998 | 1.0% | +5.9% |
| 1999 | 1.0% | +5.9% |
| 2000 | 1.1% | +5.8% |
| 2001 | 1.2% | +5.7% |
| 2002 | 1.2% | +5.5% |
| 2003 | 1.3% | +5.4% |
| 2004 | 1.4% | +5.2% |
| 2005 | 1.4% | +5.0% |
| 2006 | 1.5% | +4.7% |
| 2007 | 1.6% | +4.4% |
| 2008 | 1.6% | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 1.7% | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 1.8% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 1.8% | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 1.9% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 2.0% | +3.6% |
| 2015 | 2.1% | +3.8% |
| 2016 | 2.2% | +4.1% |
| 2017 | 2.3% | +4.4% |
| 2018 | 2.4% | +4.6% |
| 2019 | 2.5% | +4.9% |
| 2020 | 2.6% | +5.2% |
| 2021 | 2.8% | +5.5% |
| 2022 | 2.9% | +5.7% |
| 2023 | 3.1% | +5.8% |
| 2024 | 3.3% | +6.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 3.3% is below the median for low income countries, which is 5.7%, 57% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 3.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.3%, 52% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
- 189 Burkina Faso 4.4% compare
- 190 Democratic Republic of Congo 4.1% compare
- 191 Cambodia 3.6% compare
- 193 Sierra Leone 3.0% compare
- 194 Bangladesh 2.7% compare
- 195 Eritrea 2.6% compare
More reference data data for Malawi
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1596 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3426 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5353 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.6012 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.87 (2050)
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
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.