Puerto Rico vs South Africa: Share of women who are obese
Puerto Rico
47.8%
in 2024
South Africa
47.5%
in 2024
Puerto Rico rank
23rd
South Africa rank
25th
Share of women who are obese over time
- Puerto Rico
- South Africa
How they compare
Puerto Rico currently reports 47.8% against 47.5% in South Africa, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 45 shared years of data; in 1980 it was South Africa ahead.
Puerto Rico ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 25th of 199 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Puerto Rico averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Puerto Rico | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 16.9% | 21.6% | 4.7% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 23.9% | 28.1% | 4.2% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 32.2% | 35.4% | 3.1% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 40.4% | 41.7% | 1.4% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 46.3% | 46.3% | 0.0% | Puerto Rico |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of women who are obese, Puerto Rico or South Africa?
- Puerto Rico, at 47.8% against 47.5% in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of women who are obese between Puerto Rico and South Africa?
- 0.3%, with Puerto Rico ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Puerto Rico and South Africa?
- 45 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2024.
- How do Puerto Rico and South Africa rank globally for share of women who are obese?
- Puerto Rico ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 25th of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of women who are obese. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Obesity is defined as having a body-mass index (BMI) equal to, or greater than, 30. BMI is a person's weight (in kilograms) divided by their height (in meters) squared.