Share of men who are overweight or obese in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Share of men who are overweight or obese was 71.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
71.1%
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
23rd
of 199 countries
All-time high
71.1%
in 2024
All-time low
50.1%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

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

0204060801980200220241980: 50.1 %1981: 50.7 %1982: 51.2 %1983: 51.7 %1984: 52.3 %1985: 52.8 %1986: 53.4 %1987: 53.9 %1988: 54.4 %1989: 55 %1990: 55.5 %1991: 56 %1992: 56.6 %1993: 57.1 %1994: 57.6 %1995: 58.1 %1996: 58.6 %1997: 59.2 %1998: 59.7 %1999: 60.3 %2000: 60.9 %2001: 61.5 %2002: 62.1 %2003: 62.7 %2004: 63.4 %2005: 64 %2006: 64.5 %2007: 65.1 %2008: 65.7 %2009: 66.3 %2010: 66.9 %2011: 67.4 %2012: 67.9 %2013: 68.4 %2014: 68.8 %2015: 69.2 %2016: 69.6 %2017: 69.9 %2018: 70.1 %2019: 70.3 %2020: 70.5 %2021: 70.6 %2022: 70.8 %2023: 70.9 %2024: 71.1 %

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Saudi Arabia recorded 71.1% for share of men who are overweight or obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of men who are overweight or obese in Saudi Arabia peaked at 71.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 50.1%, in 1980.

That places Saudi Arabia 23rd 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 52.6% 50.1% 55.0% 10
1990s 57.9% 55.5% 60.3% 10
2000s 63.6% 60.9% 66.3% 10
2010s 68.8% 66.9% 70.3% 10
2020s 70.8% 70.5% 71.1% 5

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 20 Uruguay 71.7% compare
  2. 21 Slovakia 71.7% compare
  3. 22 Puerto Rico 71.1% compare
  4. 24 Hungary 71.0% compare
  5. 25 New Zealand 70.8% compare
  6. 26 United Arab Emirates 70.7% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of men who are overweight or obese in Saudi Arabia?
Share of men who are overweight or obese in Saudi Arabia was 71.1% 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 Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 71.1% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of men who are overweight or obese recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was 50.1% in 1980.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of men who are overweight or obese?
Saudi Arabia ranks 23rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of men who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.