Share of women who are obese in Zambia
Zambia: Share of women who are obese was 17.1% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of women who are obese in Zambia, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of women who are obese in Zambia stood at 17.1%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 3.9% on the previous year and up 51.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are obese in Zambia peaked at 17.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 1980.
Zambia ranks 149th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of women who are obese in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 2.4% | — |
| 1981 | 2.5% | +3.2% |
| 1982 | 2.6% | +3.3% |
| 1983 | 2.7% | +3.4% |
| 1984 | 2.7% | +3.5% |
| 1985 | 2.8% | +3.6% |
| 1986 | 2.9% | +3.7% |
| 1987 | 3.1% | +3.7% |
| 1988 | 3.2% | +3.8% |
| 1989 | 3.3% | +3.9% |
| 1990 | 3.4% | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 3.6% | +4.1% |
| 1992 | 3.7% | +4.2% |
| 1993 | 3.9% | +4.3% |
| 1994 | 4.0% | +4.4% |
| 1995 | 4.2% | +4.6% |
| 1996 | 4.4% | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 4.7% | +5.1% |
| 1998 | 4.9% | +5.4% |
| 1999 | 5.2% | +5.6% |
| 2000 | 5.5% | +5.7% |
| 2001 | 5.8% | +5.8% |
| 2002 | 6.1% | +5.8% |
| 2003 | 6.5% | +5.8% |
| 2004 | 6.9% | +5.7% |
| 2005 | 7.2% | +5.5% |
| 2006 | 7.6% | +5.4% |
| 2007 | 8.0% | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 8.5% | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 8.9% | +5.0% |
| 2010 | 9.3% | +4.9% |
| 2011 | 9.8% | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 10.3% | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 10.8% | +4.9% |
| 2014 | 11.3% | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 11.8% | +4.8% |
| 2016 | 12.4% | +4.7% |
| 2017 | 12.9% | +4.5% |
| 2018 | 13.5% | +4.4% |
| 2019 | 14.1% | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 14.7% | +4.1% |
| 2021 | 15.2% | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 15.8% | +3.9% |
| 2023 | 16.5% | +3.9% |
| 2024 | 17.1% | +3.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.8% | 2.4% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.2% | 3.4% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.1% | 5.5% | 8.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.6% | 9.3% | 14.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.9% | 14.7% | 17.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More gender data for Zambia
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 9,719 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 1.61 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 340,219 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 341,639 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 331,557 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 332,331 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 324,712 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 325,021 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 318,536 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 318,579 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women who are obese in Zambia?
- Share of women who are obese in Zambia was 17.1% 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 17.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of women who are obese recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 1980.
- How does Zambia rank for share of women who are obese?
- Zambia ranks 149th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are obese rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 51.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia 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.