Prevalence of obesity, male in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Prevalence of obesity, male was 36.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of obesity, male in Saudi Arabia, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization (WHO): Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Measured in % of male population ages 18+.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 36.5% for prevalence of obesity, male in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 13.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of obesity, male in Saudi Arabia peaked at 36.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 10.3%, in 1980.
Saudi Arabia ranks 13th of 196 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Prevalence of obesity, male in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of male population ages 18+ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 10.3% | — |
| 1981 | 10.7% | +3.8% |
| 1982 | 11.1% | +3.8% |
| 1983 | 11.6% | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 12.0% | +3.9% |
| 1985 | 12.5% | +3.8% |
| 1986 | 13.0% | +3.8% |
| 1987 | 13.4% | +3.8% |
| 1988 | 14.0% | +3.8% |
| 1989 | 14.5% | +3.7% |
| 1990 | 15.0% | +3.7% |
| 1991 | 15.6% | +3.6% |
| 1992 | 16.1% | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 16.6% | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 17.2% | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 17.8% | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 18.4% | +3.5% |
| 1997 | 19.1% | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 19.8% | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 20.5% | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 21.2% | +3.7% |
| 2001 | 22.0% | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 22.8% | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 23.6% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 24.4% | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 25.3% | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 26.1% | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 26.9% | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 27.8% | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 28.6% | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 29.4% | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 30.2% | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 30.9% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 31.6% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 32.2% | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 32.9% | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 33.5% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 34.0% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 34.4% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 34.8% | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 35.1% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 35.5% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 35.8% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 36.1% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 36.5% | +1.0% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 36.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 25.6%, 1.4× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 36.5% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 25.5%, 1.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 12.3% | 10.3% | 14.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.6% | 15.0% | 20.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.9% | 21.2% | 28.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.4% | 29.4% | 34.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.8% | 35.1% | 36.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More gender data for Saudi Arabia
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 8,519 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.7629 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 28,924 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 28,924 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.65 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 275,243 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 288,722 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 275,525 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 288,548 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 263,011 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of obesity, male in Saudi Arabia?
- Prevalence of obesity, male in Saudi Arabia was 36.5% in 2024, according to World Health Organization (WHO): Global Health Observatory Data Repository.
- What is the highest prevalence of obesity, male recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 36.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of obesity, male recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.3% in 1980.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for prevalence of obesity, male?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 13th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of obesity, male rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.2%. 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 (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.
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.