Share of women who are overweight or obese in Libya
Libya: Share of women who are overweight or obese was 68.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of women who are overweight or obese in Libya, 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 overweight or obese in Libya stood at 68.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are overweight or obese in Libya peaked at 69.1% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 49.6%, in 1980.
Libya ranks 55th 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 overweight or obese in Libya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 49.6% | — |
| 1981 | 50.3% | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 50.9% | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 51.6% | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 52.3% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 52.9% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 53.6% | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 54.3% | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 55.0% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 55.6% | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 56.3% | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 57.0% | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 57.7% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 58.4% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 59.1% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 59.8% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 60.5% | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 61.2% | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 61.9% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 62.6% | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 63.3% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 64.0% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 64.6% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 65.2% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 65.7% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 66.2% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 66.6% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 67.0% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 67.3% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 67.6% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 67.9% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 68.1% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 68.3% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 68.5% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 68.7% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 68.8% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 69.0% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 69.0% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 69.1% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 69.1% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 69.0% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 69.0% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 68.9% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 68.9% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 68.8% | -0.1% |
Libya compared with similar countries
- Libya's 68.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64.5%, 1.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Libya's 68.8% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 68.6%, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 52.6% | 49.6% | 55.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 59.4% | 56.3% | 62.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 65.8% | 63.3% | 67.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.6% | 67.9% | 69.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.9% | 68.8% | 69.0% | 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 overweight or obese in Libya?
- Share of women who are overweight or obese in Libya was 68.8% 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 overweight or obese recorded in Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 69.1% in 2019.
- What is the lowest share of women who are overweight or obese recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.6% in 1980.
- How does Libya rank for share of women who are overweight or obese?
- Libya ranks 55th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. 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 overweight or obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
A person is defined as overweight if they have a body-mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 25. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by his height in meters squared.