Prevalence of obesity, female in El Salvador
El Salvador: Prevalence of obesity, female was 38.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of obesity, female in El Salvador, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Measured in % of female population ages 18+.
Analysis
El Salvador recorded 38.8% for prevalence of obesity, female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.8% on the previous year and up 20.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of obesity, female in El Salvador peaked at 38.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.5%, in 1980.
El Salvador ranks 49th of 196 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Prevalence of obesity, female in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % of female population ages 18+ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 9.5% | — |
| 1981 | 9.9% | +4.7% |
| 1982 | 10.4% | +4.8% |
| 1983 | 10.9% | +4.7% |
| 1984 | 11.4% | +4.8% |
| 1985 | 12.0% | +4.7% |
| 1986 | 12.5% | +4.7% |
| 1987 | 13.1% | +4.6% |
| 1988 | 13.7% | +4.7% |
| 1989 | 14.3% | +4.5% |
| 1990 | 15.0% | +4.5% |
| 1991 | 15.7% | +4.5% |
| 1992 | 16.3% | +4.4% |
| 1993 | 17.0% | +4.2% |
| 1994 | 17.8% | +4.2% |
| 1995 | 18.5% | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 19.2% | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 20.0% | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 20.7% | +3.8% |
| 1999 | 21.5% | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 22.2% | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 22.9% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 23.7% | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 24.4% | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 25.1% | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 25.8% | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 26.4% | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 27.1% | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 27.8% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 28.5% | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 29.2% | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 30.0% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 30.7% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 31.4% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 32.1% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 32.8% | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 33.5% | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 34.2% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 34.9% | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 35.5% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 36.2% | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 36.8% | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 37.5% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 38.1% | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 38.8% | +1.8% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 38.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 32.7%, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 38.8% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 40.0%, 97% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.8% | 9.5% | 14.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.2% | 15.0% | 21.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.4% | 22.2% | 28.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.4% | 29.2% | 35.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.5% | 36.2% | 38.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More gender data for El Salvador
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 1,446 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -1.44 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 5,040 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 5,040 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.8586 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 47,387 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 49,616 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 47,477 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 49,704 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 47,581 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of obesity, female in El Salvador?
- Prevalence of obesity, female in El Salvador was 38.8% in 2024, according to World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository.
- What is the highest prevalence of obesity, female recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 38.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of obesity, female recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.5% in 1980.
- How does El Salvador rank for prevalence of obesity, female?
- El Salvador ranks 49th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of obesity, female rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository, published as part of Prevalence of obesity, female (% of female population ages 18+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Prevalence of obesity adult is the percentage of adults ages 18 and over whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is 30 kg/m² or higher. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height, or the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters.