Share of women who are obese in Libya
Libya: Share of women who are obese was 41.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of women who are obese in Libya, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Libya recorded 41.9% for share of women who are obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are obese in Libya peaked at 41.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 21.4%, in 1980.
That places Libya 40th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of women who are obese in Libya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 21.4% | — |
| 1981 | 22.0% | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 22.5% | +2.4% |
| 1983 | 23.0% | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 23.6% | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 24.2% | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 24.8% | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 25.4% | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 26.0% | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 26.6% | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 27.2% | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 27.9% | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 28.5% | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 29.1% | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 29.8% | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 30.5% | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 31.1% | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 31.8% | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 32.5% | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 33.2% | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 33.9% | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 34.6% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 35.3% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 35.9% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 36.5% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 37.0% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 37.5% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 37.9% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 38.4% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 38.8% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 39.2% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 39.6% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 39.9% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 40.3% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 40.6% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 40.9% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 41.1% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 41.3% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 41.5% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 41.6% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 41.7% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 41.7% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 41.8% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 41.8% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 41.9% | +0.1% |
Libya compared with similar countries
- Libya's 41.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 32.7%, 1.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Libya's 41.9% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 38.4%, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 23.9% | 21.4% | 26.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 30.2% | 27.2% | 33.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 36.6% | 33.9% | 38.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.6% | 39.2% | 41.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.8% | 41.7% | 41.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Libya
More gender data for Libya
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 1,888 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -1.23 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 5,998 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 5,998 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.82 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 58,243 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 61,596 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 59,014 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 62,364 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 60,166 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women who are obese in Libya?
- Share of women who are obese in Libya was 41.9% in 2024, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of women who are obese recorded in Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 41.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of women who are obese recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.4% in 1980.
- How does Libya rank for share of women who are obese?
- Libya ranks 40th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are obese rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Libya data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of women who are obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Obesity is defined as having a body-mass index (BMI) equal to, or greater than, 30. BMI is a person's weight (in kilograms) divided by their height (in meters) squared.