Share of women who are overweight or obese in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of women who are overweight or obese was 36.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of women who are overweight or obese in Sierra Leone, 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 Sierra Leone stood at 36.8%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 29.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are overweight or obese in Sierra Leone peaked at 36.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.0%, in 1980.
That places Sierra Leone 172nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of women who are overweight or obese in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 8.0% | — |
| 1981 | 8.3% | +4.0% |
| 1982 | 8.6% | +4.1% |
| 1983 | 9.0% | +4.1% |
| 1984 | 9.4% | +4.1% |
| 1985 | 9.8% | +4.2% |
| 1986 | 10.2% | +4.2% |
| 1987 | 10.6% | +4.2% |
| 1988 | 11.0% | +4.2% |
| 1989 | 11.5% | +4.2% |
| 1990 | 12.0% | +4.2% |
| 1991 | 12.5% | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 13.0% | +4.2% |
| 1993 | 13.6% | +4.2% |
| 1994 | 14.2% | +4.2% |
| 1995 | 14.8% | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 15.4% | +4.4% |
| 1997 | 16.1% | +4.5% |
| 1998 | 16.8% | +4.5% |
| 1999 | 17.6% | +4.6% |
| 2000 | 18.4% | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 19.2% | +4.4% |
| 2002 | 20.0% | +4.3% |
| 2003 | 20.9% | +4.1% |
| 2004 | 21.7% | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 22.4% | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 23.2% | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 23.9% | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 24.6% | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 25.2% | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 25.8% | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 26.4% | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 27.0% | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 27.7% | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 28.4% | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 29.1% | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 29.9% | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 30.7% | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 31.6% | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 32.5% | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 33.3% | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 34.2% | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 35.1% | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 35.9% | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 36.8% | +2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.6% | 8.0% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.6% | 12.0% | 17.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.0% | 18.4% | 25.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.9% | 25.8% | 32.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.1% | 33.3% | 36.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More gender data for Sierra Leone
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 3,446 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.722 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 122,158 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 124,999 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 118,334 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 120,652 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 116,120 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 118,274 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 114,582 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 116,632 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women who are overweight or obese in Sierra Leone?
- Share of women who are overweight or obese in Sierra Leone was 36.8% 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 36.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of women who are overweight or obese recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.0% in 1980.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of women who are overweight or obese?
- Sierra Leone ranks 172nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.