Share of overweight men vs. women in Nigeria
Nigeria: Share of overweight men vs. women was 27.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of overweight men vs. women in Nigeria, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of overweight men vs. women in Nigeria is 27.7%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of overweight men vs. women in Nigeria peaked at 27.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.5%, in 1980.
That places Nigeria 160th 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 overweight men vs. women in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 4.5% | — |
| 1981 | 4.8% | +6.4% |
| 1982 | 5.1% | +6.5% |
| 1983 | 5.4% | +6.6% |
| 1984 | 5.8% | +6.6% |
| 1985 | 6.2% | +6.6% |
| 1986 | 6.6% | +6.7% |
| 1987 | 7.0% | +6.7% |
| 1988 | 7.5% | +6.7% |
| 1989 | 8.0% | +6.7% |
| 1990 | 8.6% | +6.8% |
| 1991 | 9.1% | +6.9% |
| 1992 | 9.8% | +6.9% |
| 1993 | 10.4% | +6.8% |
| 1994 | 11.2% | +6.8% |
| 1995 | 11.9% | +6.7% |
| 1996 | 12.7% | +6.6% |
| 1997 | 13.5% | +6.6% |
| 1998 | 14.4% | +6.5% |
| 1999 | 15.3% | +6.3% |
| 2000 | 16.2% | +6.1% |
| 2001 | 17.2% | +5.9% |
| 2002 | 18.2% | +5.6% |
| 2003 | 19.1% | +5.4% |
| 2004 | 20.1% | +5.0% |
| 2005 | 21.0% | +4.6% |
| 2006 | 21.9% | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 22.6% | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 23.3% | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 23.9% | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 24.4% | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 24.8% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 25.1% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 25.4% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 25.6% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 25.8% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 26.0% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 26.1% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 26.3% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 26.5% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 26.7% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 27.0% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 27.2% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 27.4% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 27.7% | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.1% | 4.5% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.7% | 8.6% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.4% | 16.2% | 23.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.6% | 24.4% | 26.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.2% | 26.7% | 27.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 157 Namibia 28.4% compare
- 158 Botswana 28.2% compare
- 159 Mauritania 28.0% compare
- 161 Mali 25.9% compare
- 162 Equatorial Guinea 25.8% compare
- 163 Guinea-Bissau 25.3% compare
More gender data for Nigeria
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 99,803 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.6887 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 3.55 million (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 3.66 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 3.45 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 3.54 million (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 3.38 million (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 3.46 million (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 3.30 million (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 3.38 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of overweight men vs. women in Nigeria?
- Share of overweight men vs. women in Nigeria was 27.7% 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 27.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of overweight men vs. women recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.5% in 1980.
- How does Nigeria rank for share of overweight men vs. women?
- Nigeria ranks 160th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of overweight men vs. women rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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
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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.