Share of men who are overweight or obese in Nigeria

Nigeria: Share of men who are overweight or obese was 27.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
27.7%
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
160th
of 199 countries
All-time high
27.7%
in 2024
All-time low
4.5%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Share of men who are overweight or obese in Nigeria, 1980–2024

510152025301980200220241980: 4.5 %1981: 4.8 %1982: 5.1 %1983: 5.4 %1984: 5.8 %1985: 6.2 %1986: 6.6 %1987: 7 %1988: 7.5 %1989: 8 %1990: 8.6 %1991: 9.1 %1992: 9.8 %1993: 10.4 %1994: 11.2 %1995: 11.9 %1996: 12.7 %1997: 13.5 %1998: 14.4 %1999: 15.3 %2000: 16.2 %2001: 17.2 %2002: 18.2 %2003: 19.1 %2004: 20.1 %2005: 21 %2006: 21.9 %2007: 22.6 %2008: 23.3 %2009: 23.9 %2010: 24.4 %2011: 24.8 %2012: 25.1 %2013: 25.4 %2014: 25.6 %2015: 25.8 %2016: 26 %2017: 26.1 %2018: 26.3 %2019: 26.5 %2020: 26.7 %2021: 27 %2022: 27.2 %2023: 27.4 %2024: 27.7 %

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 overweight or obese in Nigeria is 27.7%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 8.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of men who are overweight or obese in Nigeria peaked at 27.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.5%, in 1980.

Nigeria ranks 160th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 6.1% 4.5% 8.0% 10
1990s 11.7% 8.6% 15.3% 10
2000s 20.4% 16.2% 23.9% 10
2010s 25.6% 24.4% 26.5% 10
2020s 27.2% 26.7% 27.7% 5

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 157 Namibia 28.4% compare
  2. 158 Botswana 28.2% compare
  3. 159 Mauritania 28.0% compare
  4. 161 Mali 25.9% compare
  5. 162 Equatorial Guinea 25.8% compare
  6. 163 Guinea-Bissau 25.3% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of men who are overweight or obese in Nigeria?
Share of men who are overweight or obese in Nigeria was 27.7% 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 Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 27.7% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of men who are overweight or obese recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 4.5% in 1980.
How does Nigeria rank for share of men who are overweight or obese?
Nigeria ranks 160th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of men who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Nigeria 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

Indicator
Share of men who are overweight or 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

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 metres squared.