Share of overweight men vs. women in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Share of overweight men vs. women was 24.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of overweight men vs. women in Zimbabwe, 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 Zimbabwe stood at 24.3%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 41.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of overweight men vs. women in Zimbabwe peaked at 24.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.6%, in 1980.
That places Zimbabwe 164th 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 Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 8.6% | — |
| 1981 | 8.8% | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 8.9% | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 9.1% | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 9.2% | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 9.4% | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 9.6% | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 9.8% | +1.9% |
| 1988 | 9.9% | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 10.1% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 10.3% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 10.5% | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 10.7% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 10.9% | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 11.1% | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 11.3% | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 11.5% | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 11.7% | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 12.0% | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 12.2% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 12.5% | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 12.7% | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 13.0% | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 13.3% | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 13.6% | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 13.9% | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 14.1% | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 14.4% | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 14.7% | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 15.0% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 15.4% | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 15.8% | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 16.2% | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 16.6% | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 17.1% | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 17.7% | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 18.3% | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 18.9% | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 19.6% | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 20.3% | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 21.0% | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 21.8% | +3.7% |
| 2022 | 22.6% | +3.7% |
| 2023 | 23.4% | +3.6% |
| 2024 | 24.3% | +3.6% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 24.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 29.9%, 81% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 24.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 22.6%, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.3% | 8.6% | 10.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.2% | 10.3% | 12.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.7% | 12.5% | 15.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.6% | 15.4% | 20.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.6% | 21.0% | 24.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More gender data for Zimbabwe
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 6,958 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.695 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 11,652 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 11,652 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 2.58 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 239,901 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 244,202 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 236,403 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 240,452 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 234,239 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of overweight men vs. women in Zimbabwe?
- Share of overweight men vs. women in Zimbabwe was 24.3% 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 24.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of overweight men vs. women recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.6% in 1980.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for share of overweight men vs. women?
- Zimbabwe ranks 164th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of overweight men vs. women rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.