Share of women who are obese in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Share of women who are obese was 31.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of women who are obese in Papua New Guinea, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 31.6% for share of women who are obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 21.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are obese in Papua New Guinea peaked at 31.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 11.0%, in 1980.
Papua New Guinea ranks 76th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of women who are obese in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 11.0% | — |
| 1981 | 11.3% | +2.8% |
| 1982 | 11.6% | +2.8% |
| 1983 | 12.0% | +2.9% |
| 1984 | 12.3% | +2.9% |
| 1985 | 12.7% | +2.9% |
| 1986 | 13.1% | +2.9% |
| 1987 | 13.4% | +3.0% |
| 1988 | 13.8% | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 14.2% | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 14.7% | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 15.1% | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 15.5% | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 16.0% | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 16.4% | +2.8% |
| 1995 | 16.9% | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 17.3% | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 17.8% | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 18.2% | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 18.7% | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 19.2% | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 19.7% | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 20.2% | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 20.6% | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 21.1% | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 21.6% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 22.1% | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 22.5% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 23.0% | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 23.5% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 23.9% | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 24.4% | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 24.9% | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 25.4% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 26.0% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 26.5% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 27.0% | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 27.6% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 28.1% | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 28.7% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 29.3% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 29.8% | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 30.4% | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 31.0% | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 31.6% | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 12.6% | 11.0% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.7% | 14.7% | 18.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.3% | 19.2% | 23.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.3% | 23.9% | 28.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.4% | 29.3% | 31.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More gender data for Papua New Guinea
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 3,665 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.4371 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 8,006 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 8,006 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 2.07 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 120,773 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 129,292 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 119,621 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 128,016 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 119,145 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women who are obese in Papua New Guinea?
- Share of women who are obese in Papua New Guinea was 31.6% 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 Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 31.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of women who are obese recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.0% in 1980.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for share of women who are obese?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 76th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are obese rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.