Share of men defined as obese in South Africa

South Africa: Share of men defined as obese was 14.51 in 2024. β–² Rising

Latest (2024)
14.51
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
126th
of 196 countries
All-time high
14.56
in 2011
All-time low
2.37
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Share of men defined as obese in South Africa, 1980–2024

2.557.51012.5151980200220241980: 2.41981: 2.61982: 2.81983: 31984: 3.31985: 3.61986: 3.91987: 4.21988: 4.61989: 51990: 5.41991: 5.91992: 6.31993: 6.81994: 7.31995: 7.81996: 8.41997: 8.91998: 9.51999: 102000: 10.62001: 11.22002: 11.72003: 12.22004: 12.72005: 13.22006: 13.62007: 142008: 14.32009: 14.42010: 14.52011: 14.62012: 14.52013: 14.52014: 14.42015: 14.42016: 14.32017: 14.32018: 14.32019: 14.32020: 14.32021: 14.32022: 14.42023: 14.42024: 14.5

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 14.51 for share of men defined as obese in 2024.

That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of men defined as obese in South Africa peaked at 14.56 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 2.37, in 1980.

South Africa ranks 126th of 196 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 3.54 2.37 4.99 10
1990s 7.63 5.41 10.04 10
2000s 12.79 10.6 14.44 10
2010s 14.4 14.26 14.56 10
2020s 14.39 14.29 14.51 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 123 Denmark 15.46 compare
  2. 124 Eswatini 15.02 compare
  3. 125 Afghanistan 14.62 compare
  4. 127 Italy 14.49 compare
  5. 128 Netherlands 14.21 compare
  6. 129 Switzerland 13.59 compare

See the full ranking of 199 places β†’

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is share of men defined as obese in South Africa?
Share of men defined as obese in South Africa was 14.51 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of men defined as obese recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 14.56 in 2011.
What is the lowest share of men defined as obese recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 2.37 in 1980.
How does South Africa rank for share of men defined as obese?
South Africa ranks 126th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of men defined as obese rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of men defined as obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of men defined as obese in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-men-defined-as-obese/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of men defined as obese
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 8,955 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed