Share of overweight men vs. women in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Share of overweight men vs. women was 71.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of overweight men vs. women in Saudi Arabia, 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 Saudi Arabia is 71.1%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of overweight men vs. women in Saudi Arabia peaked at 71.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 50.1%, in 1980.
That places Saudi Arabia 23rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of overweight men vs. women in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 50.1% | — |
| 1981 | 50.7% | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 51.2% | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 51.7% | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 52.3% | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 52.8% | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 53.4% | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 53.9% | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 54.4% | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 55.0% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 55.5% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 56.0% | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 56.6% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 57.1% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 57.6% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 58.1% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 58.6% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 59.2% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 59.7% | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 60.3% | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 60.9% | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 61.5% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 62.1% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 62.7% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 63.4% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 64.0% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 64.5% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 65.1% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 65.7% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 66.3% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 66.9% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 67.4% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 67.9% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 68.4% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 68.8% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 69.2% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 69.6% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 69.9% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 70.1% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 70.3% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 70.5% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 70.6% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 70.8% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 70.9% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 71.1% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 52.6% | 50.1% | 55.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 57.9% | 55.5% | 60.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 63.6% | 60.9% | 66.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.8% | 66.9% | 70.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.8% | 70.5% | 71.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 20 Uruguay 71.7% compare
- 21 Slovakia 71.7% compare
- 22 Puerto Rico 71.1% compare
- 24 Hungary 71.0% compare
- 25 New Zealand 70.8% compare
- 26 United Arab Emirates 70.7% compare
More gender data for Saudi Arabia
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 8,519 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.7629 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 275,243 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 288,722 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 275,525 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 288,548 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 263,011 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 275,073 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 253,491 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 263,958 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of overweight men vs. women in Saudi Arabia?
- Share of overweight men vs. women in Saudi Arabia was 71.1% 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 71.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of overweight men vs. women recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.1% in 1980.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of overweight men vs. women?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 23rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of overweight men vs. women rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.