Share of men who are overweight or obese in Malawi
Malawi: Share of men who are overweight or obese was 15.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of men who are overweight or obese in Malawi, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 15.9% for share of men who are overweight or obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.1% on the previous year and up 19.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men who are overweight or obese in Malawi peaked at 15.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.7%, in 1980.
Malawi ranks 192nd of 199 countries on this measure, 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 Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 5.7% | — |
| 1981 | 5.9% | +2.8% |
| 1982 | 6.1% | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 6.3% | +3.0% |
| 1984 | 6.4% | +3.1% |
| 1985 | 6.6% | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 6.9% | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 7.1% | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 7.3% | +3.2% |
| 1989 | 7.5% | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 7.8% | +3.2% |
| 1991 | 8.0% | +3.2% |
| 1992 | 8.3% | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 8.5% | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 8.8% | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 9.1% | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 9.3% | +3.0% |
| 1997 | 9.6% | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 9.9% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 10.2% | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 10.4% | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 10.7% | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 11.0% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 11.3% | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 11.5% | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 11.7% | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 12.0% | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 12.2% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 12.3% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 12.5% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 12.7% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 12.8% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 13.0% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 13.1% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 13.3% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 13.5% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 13.7% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 13.9% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 14.2% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 14.4% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 14.7% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 15.0% | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 15.3% | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 15.6% | +2.1% |
| 2024 | 15.9% | +2.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 15.9% is below the median for low income countries, which is 21.1%, 75% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 15.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 22.6%, 71% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.6% | 5.7% | 7.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.9% | 7.8% | 10.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.6% | 10.4% | 12.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.5% | 12.7% | 14.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.3% | 14.7% | 15.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 189 Burkina Faso 18.2% compare
- 190 Madagascar 17.8% compare
- 191 Uganda 17.1% compare
- 193 Democratic Republic of Congo 15.3% compare
- 194 Niger 14.5% compare
- 195 East Timor 13.6% compare
More reference data data for Malawi
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1596 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3426 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5353 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.6012 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.87 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of men who are overweight or obese in Malawi?
- Share of men who are overweight or obese in Malawi was 15.9% 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 15.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of men who are overweight or obese recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.7% in 1980.
- How does Malawi rank for share of men who are overweight or obese?
- Malawi ranks 192nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi 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.