Share of men who are obese in Zambia

Zambia: Share of men who are obese was 5.6% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
5.6%
Change on year
up 6.0%
World rank
179th
of 199 countries
All-time high
5.6%
in 2024
All-time low
0.6%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

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

1234561980200220241980: 0.614 %1981: 0.64 %1982: 0.668 %1983: 0.7 %1984: 0.736 %1985: 0.774 %1986: 0.816 %1987: 0.861 %1988: 0.91 %1989: 0.964 %1990: 1 %1991: 1.1 %1992: 1.1 %1993: 1.2 %1994: 1.3 %1995: 1.4 %1996: 1.4 %1997: 1.5 %1998: 1.6 %1999: 1.7 %2000: 1.8 %2001: 1.9 %2002: 2 %2003: 2.1 %2004: 2.2 %2005: 2.4 %2006: 2.5 %2007: 2.6 %2008: 2.7 %2009: 2.8 %2010: 2.9 %2011: 3 %2012: 3.1 %2013: 3.2 %2014: 3.4 %2015: 3.5 %2016: 3.6 %2017: 3.8 %2018: 4 %2019: 4.2 %2020: 4.4 %2021: 4.7 %2022: 4.9 %2023: 5.2 %2024: 5.6 %

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 Zambia is 5.6%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

The figure is up 6.0% on the previous year and up 65.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of men who are obese in Zambia peaked at 5.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1980.

That places Zambia 179th 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 0.8% 0.6% 1.0% 10
1990s 1.3% 1.0% 1.7% 10
2000s 2.3% 1.8% 2.8% 10
2010s 3.5% 2.9% 4.2% 10
2020s 5.0% 4.4% 5.6% 5

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 176 India 5.7% compare
  2. 177 Mozambique 5.7% compare
  3. 178 Kenya 5.6% compare
  4. 180 Haiti 5.5% compare
  5. 181 Gambia 5.4% compare
  6. 182 South Sudan 5.3% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of men who are obese in Zambia?
Share of men who are obese in Zambia was 5.6% 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 Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 5.6% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of men who are obese recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1980.
How does Zambia rank for share of men who are obese?
Zambia ranks 179th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of men who are obese rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is up 65.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Zambia 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.