Share of overweight men vs. women in Cameroon
Cameroon: Share of overweight men vs. women was 32.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of overweight men vs. women in Cameroon, 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 overweight men vs. women in Cameroon stood at 32.1%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of overweight men vs. women in Cameroon peaked at 32.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.1%, in 1980.
Cameroon ranks 149th 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 overweight men vs. women in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 7.1% | — |
| 1981 | 7.5% | +5.3% |
| 1982 | 7.9% | +5.3% |
| 1983 | 8.3% | +5.4% |
| 1984 | 8.8% | +5.4% |
| 1985 | 9.3% | +5.4% |
| 1986 | 9.8% | +5.4% |
| 1987 | 10.3% | +5.4% |
| 1988 | 10.9% | +5.5% |
| 1989 | 11.5% | +5.5% |
| 1990 | 12.1% | +5.5% |
| 1991 | 12.8% | +5.5% |
| 1992 | 13.5% | +5.5% |
| 1993 | 14.2% | +5.5% |
| 1994 | 15.0% | +5.5% |
| 1995 | 15.8% | +5.5% |
| 1996 | 16.7% | +5.4% |
| 1997 | 17.6% | +5.4% |
| 1998 | 18.5% | +5.3% |
| 1999 | 19.5% | +5.3% |
| 2000 | 20.5% | +5.1% |
| 2001 | 21.5% | +5.0% |
| 2002 | 22.5% | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 23.5% | +4.5% |
| 2004 | 24.5% | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 25.5% | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 26.3% | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 27.1% | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 27.8% | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 28.4% | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 28.9% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 29.3% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 29.6% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 29.9% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 30.1% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 30.3% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 30.4% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 30.6% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 30.8% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 31.0% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 31.2% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 31.4% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 31.6% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 31.8% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 32.1% | +0.7% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 32.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 29.9%, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 32.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 22.6%, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.1% | 7.1% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.5% | 12.1% | 19.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.8% | 20.5% | 28.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.1% | 28.9% | 31.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.6% | 31.2% | 32.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More gender data for Cameroon
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 13,337 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 1.53 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 20,440 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 20,440 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 3.01 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 465,137 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 475,018 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 453,098 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 461,925 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 443,236 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of overweight men vs. women in Cameroon?
- Share of overweight men vs. women in Cameroon was 32.1% 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 overweight men vs. women recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 32.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of overweight men vs. women recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.1% in 1980.
- How does Cameroon rank for share of overweight men vs. women?
- Cameroon ranks 149th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of overweight men vs. women rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cameroon 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 overweight men vs. women. 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.