Share of men who are overweight or obese in Namibia
Namibia: Share of men who are overweight or obese was 28.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of men who are overweight or obese in Namibia, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Namibia recorded 28.4% for share of men who are overweight or obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 19.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men who are overweight or obese in Namibia peaked at 28.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.2%, in 1980.
That places Namibia 157th 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 Namibia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 8.2% | — |
| 1981 | 8.4% | +3.2% |
| 1982 | 8.7% | +3.3% |
| 1983 | 9.0% | +3.4% |
| 1984 | 9.3% | +3.5% |
| 1985 | 9.7% | +3.6% |
| 1986 | 10.0% | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 10.4% | +3.7% |
| 1988 | 10.8% | +3.7% |
| 1989 | 11.2% | +3.7% |
| 1990 | 11.6% | +3.8% |
| 1991 | 12.0% | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 12.5% | +3.7% |
| 1993 | 13.0% | +3.7% |
| 1994 | 13.4% | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 13.9% | +3.6% |
| 1996 | 14.4% | +3.6% |
| 1997 | 14.9% | +3.6% |
| 1998 | 15.5% | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 16.0% | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 16.6% | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 17.2% | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 17.8% | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 18.3% | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 18.9% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 19.5% | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 20.1% | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 20.6% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 21.1% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 21.6% | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 22.1% | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 22.5% | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 22.9% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 23.3% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 23.7% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 24.1% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 24.6% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 25.0% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 25.5% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 25.9% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 26.4% | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 26.9% | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 27.4% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 27.9% | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 28.4% | +1.9% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 28.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 29.9%, 95% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 28.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 22.6%, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.6% | 8.2% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.7% | 11.6% | 16.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.2% | 16.6% | 21.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.0% | 22.1% | 25.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.4% | 26.4% | 28.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More reference data data for Namibia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0579 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0157 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.194 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1306 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.82 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0853 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of men who are overweight or obese in Namibia?
- Share of men who are overweight or obese in Namibia was 28.4% 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 Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 28.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of men who are overweight or obese recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.2% in 1980.
- How does Namibia rank for share of men who are overweight or obese?
- Namibia ranks 157th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia 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.