Share of women who are obese in Rwanda
Rwanda: Share of women who are obese was 8.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of women who are obese in Rwanda, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Rwanda recorded 8.8% 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 6.0% on the previous year and up 90.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are obese in Rwanda peaked at 8.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 1980.
Rwanda ranks 186th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of women who are obese in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.7% | — |
| 1981 | 0.7% | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 0.7% | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 0.8% | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 0.8% | +2.9% |
| 1985 | 0.8% | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 0.8% | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 0.9% | +3.4% |
| 1988 | 0.9% | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 0.9% | +3.8% |
| 1990 | 1.0% | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 1.0% | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 1.0% | +4.4% |
| 1993 | 1.1% | +4.6% |
| 1994 | 1.1% | +4.9% |
| 1995 | 1.2% | +5.2% |
| 1996 | 1.3% | +5.6% |
| 1997 | 1.3% | +6.0% |
| 1998 | 1.4% | +6.4% |
| 1999 | 1.5% | +6.8% |
| 2000 | 1.6% | +7.1% |
| 2001 | 1.8% | +7.3% |
| 2002 | 1.9% | +7.4% |
| 2003 | 2.0% | +7.5% |
| 2004 | 2.2% | +7.6% |
| 2005 | 2.4% | +7.6% |
| 2006 | 2.5% | +7.7% |
| 2007 | 2.7% | +7.7% |
| 2008 | 2.9% | +7.7% |
| 2009 | 3.2% | +7.7% |
| 2010 | 3.4% | +7.7% |
| 2011 | 3.7% | +7.8% |
| 2012 | 4.0% | +7.9% |
| 2013 | 4.3% | +7.8% |
| 2014 | 4.6% | +7.8% |
| 2015 | 5.0% | +7.6% |
| 2016 | 5.3% | +7.4% |
| 2017 | 5.7% | +7.1% |
| 2018 | 6.1% | +6.9% |
| 2019 | 6.5% | +6.6% |
| 2020 | 6.9% | +6.4% |
| 2021 | 7.4% | +6.2% |
| 2022 | 7.8% | +6.1% |
| 2023 | 8.3% | +6.0% |
| 2024 | 8.8% | +6.0% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 8.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is 14.0%, 62% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 8.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.1%, 48% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.3% | 1.6% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.9% | 3.4% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.8% | 6.9% | 8.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
- 183 Nepal 10.3% compare
- 184 Democratic Republic of Congo 9.1% compare
- 185 Switzerland 9.0% compare
- 187 Niger 8.7% compare
- 188 Bangladesh 8.6% compare
- 189 China 8.4% compare
More gender data for Rwanda
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 5,716 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.9861 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 10,439 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 10,439 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 2.5 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 194,446 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 198,438 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 191,100 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 194,971 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 188,797 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women who are obese in Rwanda?
- Share of women who are obese in Rwanda was 8.8% 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 8.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of women who are obese recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 1980.
- How does Rwanda rank for share of women who are obese?
- Rwanda ranks 186th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are obese rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 90.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Rwanda 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.