Share of men who are overweight or obese in South Africa
South Africa: Share of men who are overweight or obese was 37.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of men who are overweight or obese in South Africa, 1980–2024
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 South Africa is 37.6%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men who are overweight or obese in South Africa peaked at 38.8% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 16.4%, in 1980.
That places South Africa 140th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of men who are overweight or obese in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 16.4% | — |
| 1981 | 17.0% | +3.9% |
| 1982 | 17.7% | +4.0% |
| 1983 | 18.4% | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 19.2% | +4.0% |
| 1985 | 20.0% | +4.0% |
| 1986 | 20.8% | +4.1% |
| 1987 | 21.6% | +4.0% |
| 1988 | 22.5% | +4.0% |
| 1989 | 23.4% | +4.0% |
| 1990 | 24.3% | +3.9% |
| 1991 | 25.2% | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 26.1% | +3.7% |
| 1993 | 27.1% | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 28.0% | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 28.9% | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 29.8% | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 30.7% | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 31.6% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 32.5% | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 33.3% | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 34.1% | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 34.9% | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 35.6% | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 36.3% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 37.0% | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 37.5% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 38.0% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 38.4% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 38.6% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 38.8% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 38.8% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 38.8% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 38.7% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 38.5% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 38.4% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 38.2% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 38.1% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 38.0% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 37.9% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 37.8% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 37.7% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 37.7% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 37.6% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 37.6% | -0.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 37.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 58.6%, 64% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 37.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 22.6%, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 19.7% | 16.4% | 23.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 28.4% | 24.3% | 32.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 36.4% | 33.3% | 38.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.4% | 37.9% | 38.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.7% | 37.6% | 37.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of men who are overweight or obese in South Africa?
- Share of men who are overweight or obese in South Africa was 37.6% 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 38.8% in 2011.
- What is the lowest share of men who are overweight or obese recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.4% in 1980.
- How does South Africa rank for share of men who are overweight or obese?
- South Africa ranks 140th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men who are overweight or obese rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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.