Prevalence of obesity, male in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Prevalence of obesity, male was 7.1% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
7.1%
Change on year
up 5.5%
World rank
158th
of 196 countries
All-time high
7.1%
in 2024
All-time low
0.2%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Prevalence of obesity, male in Sri Lanka, 1980–2024

024681980200220241980: 0.25 % of male population ages 18+1981: 0.27 % of male population ages 18+1982: 0.29 % of male population ages 18+1983: 0.31 % of male population ages 18+1984: 0.33 % of male population ages 18+1985: 0.36 % of male population ages 18+1986: 0.39 % of male population ages 18+1987: 0.42 % of male population ages 18+1988: 0.45 % of male population ages 18+1989: 0.49 % of male population ages 18+1990: 0.54 % of male population ages 18+1991: 0.58 % of male population ages 18+1992: 0.63 % of male population ages 18+1993: 0.69 % of male population ages 18+1994: 0.75 % of male population ages 18+1995: 0.82 % of male population ages 18+1996: 0.9 % of male population ages 18+1997: 0.98 % of male population ages 18+1998: 1.1 % of male population ages 18+1999: 1.2 % of male population ages 18+2000: 1.3 % of male population ages 18+2001: 1.4 % of male population ages 18+2002: 1.6 % of male population ages 18+2003: 1.7 % of male population ages 18+2004: 1.9 % of male population ages 18+2005: 2 % of male population ages 18+2006: 2.2 % of male population ages 18+2007: 2.4 % of male population ages 18+2008: 2.6 % of male population ages 18+2009: 2.8 % of male population ages 18+2010: 3 % of male population ages 18+2011: 3.2 % of male population ages 18+2012: 3.5 % of male population ages 18+2013: 3.7 % of male population ages 18+2014: 4 % of male population ages 18+2015: 4.2 % of male population ages 18+2016: 4.5 % of male population ages 18+2017: 4.8 % of male population ages 18+2018: 5.1 % of male population ages 18+2019: 5.4 % of male population ages 18+2020: 5.7 % of male population ages 18+2021: 6 % of male population ages 18+2022: 6.4 % of male population ages 18+2023: 6.7 % of male population ages 18+2024: 7.1 % 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 Sri Lanka is 7.1%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.5% on the previous year and up 79.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of obesity, male in Sri Lanka peaked at 7.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1980.

That places Sri Lanka 158th out of 196 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

Prevalence of obesity, male in Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of obesity, male (% of male population ages 18+) in Sri Lanka, 1980 to 2024.
Year % of male population ages 18+ Change
1980 0.2%
1981 0.3% +8.0%
1982 0.3% +7.4%
1983 0.3% +6.9%
1984 0.3% +6.5%
1985 0.4% +9.1%
1986 0.4% +8.3%
1987 0.4% +7.7%
1988 0.5% +7.1%
1989 0.5% +8.9%
1990 0.5% +10.2%
1991 0.6% +7.4%
1992 0.6% +8.6%
1993 0.7% +9.5%
1994 0.8% +8.7%
1995 0.8% +9.3%
1996 0.9% +9.8%
1997 1.0% +8.9%
1998 1.1% +10.2%
1999 1.2% +9.3%
2000 1.3% +10.2%
2001 1.4% +9.2%
2002 1.6% +9.9%
2003 1.7% +9.0%
2004 1.9% +9.4%
2005 2.0% +9.1%
2006 2.2% +8.9%
2007 2.4% +8.6%
2008 2.6% +8.3%
2009 2.8% +7.7%
2010 3.0% +7.5%
2011 3.2% +7.3%
2012 3.5% +7.1%
2013 3.7% +6.9%
2014 4.0% +6.8%
2015 4.2% +6.6%
2016 4.5% +6.7%
2017 4.8% +6.5%
2018 5.1% +6.1%
2019 5.4% +6.1%
2020 5.7% +5.8%
2021 6.0% +5.8%
2022 6.4% +5.6%
2023 6.7% +5.7%
2024 7.1% +5.5%

Sri Lanka compared with similar countries

  • Sri Lanka's 7.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20.7%, 34% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • Sri Lanka's 7.1% is above the median for South Asia, which is 6.4%, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.4% 0.2% 0.5% 10
1990s 0.8% 0.5% 1.2% 10
2000s 2.0% 1.3% 2.8% 10
2010s 4.1% 3.0% 5.4% 10
2020s 6.4% 5.7% 7.1% 5

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 155 Chad 7.7% compare
  2. 156 Philippines 7.5% compare
  3. 157 Benin 7.4% compare
  4. 159 Indonesia 7.0% compare
  5. 160 Angola 6.8% compare
  6. 161 Central African Republic 6.7% compare

See the full ranking of 197 places →

More gender data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of obesity, male in Sri Lanka?
Prevalence of obesity, male in Sri Lanka was 7.1% in 2024, according to World Health Organization (WHO): Global Health Observatory Data Repository.
What is the highest prevalence of obesity, male recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 7.1% in 2024.
What is the lowest prevalence of obesity, male recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1980.
How does Sri Lanka rank for prevalence of obesity, male?
Sri Lanka ranks 158th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
Is prevalence of obesity, male rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is up 79.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization (WHO): Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-obesity-male-percent-of-male-population-ages-18/sri-lanka/

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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.