Share of men who are obese in Malaysia

Malaysia: Share of men who are obese was 18.3% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
18.3%
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
115th
of 199 countries
All-time high
18.3%
in 2024
All-time low
1.5%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

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

051015201980200220241980: 1.5 %1981: 1.6 %1982: 1.8 %1983: 1.9 %1984: 2 %1985: 2.2 %1986: 2.4 %1987: 2.5 %1988: 2.7 %1989: 2.9 %1990: 3.2 %1991: 3.4 %1992: 3.7 %1993: 4 %1994: 4.3 %1995: 4.6 %1996: 5 %1997: 5.3 %1998: 5.8 %1999: 6.2 %2000: 6.7 %2001: 7.2 %2002: 7.7 %2003: 8.2 %2004: 8.8 %2005: 9.3 %2006: 9.8 %2007: 10.4 %2008: 10.9 %2009: 11.4 %2010: 11.9 %2011: 12.4 %2012: 12.8 %2013: 13.3 %2014: 13.7 %2015: 14.1 %2016: 14.6 %2017: 15 %2018: 15.5 %2019: 15.9 %2020: 16.3 %2021: 16.8 %2022: 17.3 %2023: 17.8 %2024: 18.3 %

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of men who are obese in Malaysia is 18.3%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

The figure is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 33.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of men who are obese in Malaysia peaked at 18.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 1980.

Malaysia ranks 115th of 199 countries on this measure, 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 2.2% 1.5% 2.9% 10
1990s 4.5% 3.2% 6.2% 10
2000s 9.0% 6.7% 11.4% 10
2010s 13.9% 11.9% 15.9% 10
2020s 17.3% 16.3% 18.3% 5

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 112 Guyana 18.7% compare
  2. 113 Colombia 18.7% compare
  3. 114 Sweden 18.5% compare
  4. 116 Singapore 18.2% compare
  5. 117 Kyrgyzstan 18.0% compare
  6. 118 Tajikistan 17.9% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of men who are obese in Malaysia?
Share of men who are obese in Malaysia was 18.3% 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 Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 18.3% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of men who are obese recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 1980.
How does Malaysia rank for share of men who are obese?
Malaysia ranks 115th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of men who are obese rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is up 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Malaysia 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.