Share of men who are overweight or obese in Kenya
Kenya: Share of men who are overweight or obese was 21.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of men who are overweight or obese in Kenya, 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 Kenya stood at 21.1%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 26.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men who are overweight or obese in Kenya peaked at 21.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.6%, in 1980.
That places Kenya 183rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom 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 Kenya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 5.6% | — |
| 1981 | 5.8% | +3.6% |
| 1982 | 6.0% | +3.7% |
| 1983 | 6.3% | +3.8% |
| 1984 | 6.5% | +3.8% |
| 1985 | 6.8% | +3.9% |
| 1986 | 7.0% | +3.9% |
| 1987 | 7.3% | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 7.6% | +3.9% |
| 1989 | 7.9% | +3.9% |
| 1990 | 8.2% | +3.9% |
| 1991 | 8.5% | +3.9% |
| 1992 | 8.8% | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 9.2% | +3.7% |
| 1994 | 9.5% | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 9.8% | +3.6% |
| 1996 | 10.2% | +3.6% |
| 1997 | 10.6% | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 10.9% | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 11.3% | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 11.7% | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 12.1% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 12.5% | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 12.8% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 13.2% | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 13.6% | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 14.0% | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 14.3% | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 14.6% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 15.0% | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 15.3% | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 15.6% | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 16.0% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 16.3% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 16.7% | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 17.1% | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 17.5% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 17.9% | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 18.3% | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 18.7% | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 19.2% | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 19.7% | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 20.1% | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 20.6% | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 21.1% | +2.5% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 21.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 29.9%, 71% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 21.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 22.6%, 94% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.7% | 5.6% | 7.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.7% | 8.2% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.4% | 11.7% | 15.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.9% | 15.3% | 18.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.1% | 19.2% | 21.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More reference data data for Kenya
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5379 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 12.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.377 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 14.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 58.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 68.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.05 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of men who are overweight or obese in Kenya?
- Share of men who are overweight or obese in Kenya was 21.1% 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 21.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of men who are overweight or obese recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.6% in 1980.
- How does Kenya rank for share of men who are overweight or obese?
- Kenya ranks 183rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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.