Share of men who are overweight or obese in Iraq
Iraq: Share of men who are overweight or obese was 67.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of men who are overweight or obese in Iraq, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of men who are overweight or obese in Iraq stood at 67.8%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men who are overweight or obese in Iraq peaked at 67.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 37.7%, in 1980.
That places Iraq 42nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of men who are overweight or obese in Iraq, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 37.7% | — |
| 1981 | 38.5% | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 39.2% | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 40.0% | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 40.8% | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 41.5% | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 42.3% | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 43.2% | +1.9% |
| 1988 | 44.0% | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 44.8% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 45.6% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 46.5% | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 47.3% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 48.2% | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 49.0% | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 49.8% | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 50.7% | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 51.5% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 52.3% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 53.2% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 54.0% | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 54.8% | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 55.6% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 56.5% | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 57.3% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 58.0% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 58.8% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 59.5% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 60.2% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 61.0% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 61.7% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 62.3% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 63.0% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 63.6% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 64.2% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 64.7% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 65.2% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 65.7% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 66.1% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 66.4% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 66.7% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 67.0% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 67.3% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 67.5% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 67.8% | +0.4% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 67.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 58.6%, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 67.8% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 64.0%, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 41.2% | 37.7% | 44.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 49.4% | 45.6% | 53.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 57.6% | 54.0% | 61.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.3% | 61.7% | 66.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.3% | 66.7% | 67.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More reference data data for Iraq
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2116 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3911 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 7.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7096 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.235 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 13.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 30.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.13 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of men who are overweight or obese in Iraq?
- Share of men who are overweight or obese in Iraq was 67.8% 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 overweight or obese recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 67.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of men who are overweight or obese recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.7% in 1980.
- How does Iraq rank for share of men who are overweight or obese?
- Iraq ranks 42nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iraq 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 overweight or 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
A person is defined as overweight if they have a body-mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 25. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by his height in meters squared.