Prevalence of obesity, male in South Africa
South Africa: Prevalence of obesity, male was 14.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of obesity, male in South Africa, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization (WHO): Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Measured in % of male population ages 18+.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 14.5% for prevalence of obesity, male in 2024.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of obesity, male in South Africa peaked at 14.6% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 1980.
That places South Africa 126th out of 196 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.
Prevalence of obesity, male in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of male population ages 18+ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 2.4% | — |
| 1981 | 2.6% | +8.4% |
| 1982 | 2.8% | +8.6% |
| 1983 | 3.0% | +9.0% |
| 1984 | 3.3% | +8.6% |
| 1985 | 3.6% | +8.8% |
| 1986 | 3.9% | +8.6% |
| 1987 | 4.2% | +8.5% |
| 1988 | 4.6% | +8.7% |
| 1989 | 5.0% | +8.5% |
| 1990 | 5.4% | +8.4% |
| 1991 | 5.8% | +8.1% |
| 1992 | 6.3% | +8.0% |
| 1993 | 6.8% | +7.6% |
| 1994 | 7.3% | +7.5% |
| 1995 | 7.8% | +7.1% |
| 1996 | 8.4% | +6.9% |
| 1997 | 8.9% | +6.6% |
| 1998 | 9.5% | +6.3% |
| 1999 | 10.0% | +5.9% |
| 2000 | 10.6% | +5.6% |
| 2001 | 11.2% | +5.3% |
| 2002 | 11.7% | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 12.2% | +4.4% |
| 2004 | 12.7% | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 13.2% | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 13.6% | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 14.0% | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 14.3% | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 14.4% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 14.5% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 14.6% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 14.5% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 14.5% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 14.4% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 14.3% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 14.3% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 14.3% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 14.3% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 14.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 14.3% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 14.3% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 14.4% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 14.4% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 14.5% | +0.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 14.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20.7%, 70% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 14.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.3%, 2.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.5% | 2.4% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.6% | 5.4% | 10.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.8% | 10.6% | 14.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.4% | 14.3% | 14.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.4% | 14.3% | 14.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 123 Denmark 15.5% compare
- 124 Eswatini 15.0% compare
- 125 Afghanistan 14.6% compare
- 127 Italy 14.5% compare
- 128 Netherlands 14.2% compare
- 129 Switzerland 13.6% compare
More gender data for South Africa
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 17,151 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.6591 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 51,011 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 51,011 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.07 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 570,099 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 589,533 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 570,599 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 589,626 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 569,634 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of obesity, male in South Africa?
- Prevalence of obesity, male in South Africa was 14.5% in 2024, according to World Health Organization (WHO): Global Health Observatory Data Repository.
- What is the highest prevalence of obesity, male recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 14.6% in 2011.
- What is the lowest prevalence of obesity, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 1980.
- How does South Africa rank for prevalence of obesity, male?
- South Africa ranks 126th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of obesity, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. 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 (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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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.