Prevalence of obesity, male in China

China: Prevalence of obesity, male was 10.0% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
10.0%
Change on year
up 7.1%
World rank
141st
of 196 countries
All-time high
10.0%
in 2024
All-time low
0.3%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Prevalence of obesity, male in China, 1980–2024

02468101980200220241980: 0.33 % of male population ages 18+1981: 0.35 % of male population ages 18+1982: 0.38 % of male population ages 18+1983: 0.41 % of male population ages 18+1984: 0.45 % of male population ages 18+1985: 0.49 % of male population ages 18+1986: 0.54 % of male population ages 18+1987: 0.59 % of male population ages 18+1988: 0.65 % of male population ages 18+1989: 0.71 % of male population ages 18+1990: 0.78 % of male population ages 18+1991: 0.85 % of male population ages 18+1992: 0.93 % of male population ages 18+1993: 1 % of male population ages 18+1994: 1.1 % of male population ages 18+1995: 1.2 % of male population ages 18+1996: 1.3 % of male population ages 18+1997: 1.4 % of male population ages 18+1998: 1.5 % of male population ages 18+1999: 1.6 % of male population ages 18+2000: 1.7 % of male population ages 18+2001: 1.8 % of male population ages 18+2002: 2 % of male population ages 18+2003: 2.1 % of male population ages 18+2004: 2.3 % of male population ages 18+2005: 2.5 % of male population ages 18+2006: 2.7 % of male population ages 18+2007: 2.9 % of male population ages 18+2008: 3.1 % of male population ages 18+2009: 3.4 % of male population ages 18+2010: 3.7 % of male population ages 18+2011: 3.9 % of male population ages 18+2012: 4.2 % of male population ages 18+2013: 4.6 % of male population ages 18+2014: 4.9 % of male population ages 18+2015: 5.3 % of male population ages 18+2016: 5.7 % of male population ages 18+2017: 6.1 % of male population ages 18+2018: 6.6 % of male population ages 18+2019: 7.1 % of male population ages 18+2020: 7.6 % of male population ages 18+2021: 8.1 % of male population ages 18+2022: 8.7 % of male population ages 18+2023: 9.3 % of male population ages 18+2024: 10 % of male population ages 18+

Source: World Health Organization (WHO): Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Measured in % of male population ages 18+.

Analysis

The most recent figure for prevalence of obesity, male in China is 10.0%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.1% on the previous year and up 103.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of obesity, male in China peaked at 10.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1980.

That places China 141st out of 196 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Prevalence of obesity, male in China, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of obesity, male (% of male population ages 18+) in China, 1980 to 2024.
Year % of male population ages 18+ Change
1980 0.3%
1981 0.3% +6.1%
1982 0.4% +8.6%
1983 0.4% +7.9%
1984 0.5% +9.8%
1985 0.5% +8.9%
1986 0.5% +10.2%
1987 0.6% +9.3%
1988 0.7% +10.2%
1989 0.7% +9.2%
1990 0.8% +9.9%
1991 0.8% +9.0%
1992 0.9% +9.4%
1993 1.0% +8.6%
1994 1.1% +8.9%
1995 1.2% +7.3%
1996 1.3% +8.5%
1997 1.4% +7.8%
1998 1.5% +7.2%
1999 1.6% +7.4%
2000 1.7% +8.2%
2001 1.8% +7.0%
2002 2.0% +7.6%
2003 2.1% +7.6%
2004 2.3% +8.0%
2005 2.5% +7.8%
2006 2.7% +8.1%
2007 2.9% +8.2%
2008 3.1% +8.3%
2009 3.4% +8.3%
2010 3.7% +7.6%
2011 3.9% +7.7%
2012 4.2% +7.4%
2013 4.6% +7.8%
2014 4.9% +7.7%
2015 5.3% +7.7%
2016 5.7% +7.8%
2017 6.1% +7.5%
2018 6.6% +7.3%
2019 7.1% +7.3%
2020 7.6% +7.2%
2021 8.1% +7.1%
2022 8.7% +7.3%
2023 9.3% +7.1%
2024 10.0% +7.1%

China compared with similar countries

  • China's 10.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20.7%, 48% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • China's 10.0% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 20.5%, 49% of the median. (32 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.5% 0.3% 0.7% 10
1990s 1.2% 0.8% 1.6% 10
2000s 2.5% 1.7% 3.4% 10
2010s 5.2% 3.7% 7.1% 10
2020s 8.7% 7.6% 10.0% 5

Countries ranked near China

  1. 138 Korea 10.4% compare
  2. 139 Yemen 10.3% compare
  3. 140 Sao Tome and Principe 10.2% compare
  4. 142 Bhutan 9.8% compare
  5. 143 Cameroon 9.6% compare
  6. 144 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 9.2% compare

See the full ranking of 197 places →

More gender data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of obesity, male in China?
Prevalence of obesity, male in China was 10.0% in 2024, according to World Health Organization (WHO): Global Health Observatory Data Repository.
What is the highest prevalence of obesity, male recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 10.0% in 2024.
What is the lowest prevalence of obesity, male recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1980.
How does China rank for prevalence of obesity, male?
China ranks 141st out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
Is prevalence of obesity, male rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is up 103.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization (WHO): Global Health Observatory Data Repository, published as part of Prevalence of obesity, male (% of male population ages 18+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of obesity, male in China. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization (WHO): Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-obesity-male-percent-of-male-population-ages-18/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of obesity, male (% of male population ages 18+)
Unit
% of male population ages 18+
Source
World Health Organization (WHO): Global Health Observatory Data Repository
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
197 places, 8,862 data points, 1975–2024
Last refreshed

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.