Number of obese adults (18 years and older) (million) — Value in Western Asia and Northern Africa
Western Asia and Northern Africa: Number of obese adults (18 years and older) (million) — Value was 119 million No in 2024. ▲ Rising
Number of obese adults (18 years and older) (million) — Value in Western Asia and Northern Africa, 2000–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in million No.
Analysis
Western Asia and Northern Africa recorded 119 million No for number of obese adults (18 years and older) (million) — value in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 36.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of obese adults (18 years and older) (million) — value in Western Asia and Northern Africa peaked at 119 million No in 2024 and was at its lowest, 43.1 million No, in 2000.
That places Western Asia and Northern Africa 13th out of 36 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Number of obese adults (18 years and older) (million) — Value in Western Asia and Northern Africa, year by year
| Year | million No | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 43.1 million No | — |
| 2001 | 45.8 million No | +6.3% |
| 2002 | 48.5 million No | +5.9% |
| 2003 | 51.3 million No | +5.8% |
| 2004 | 54.2 million No | +5.7% |
| 2005 | 57.2 million No | +5.5% |
| 2006 | 60.3 million No | +5.4% |
| 2007 | 63.6 million No | +5.5% |
| 2008 | 67 million No | +5.3% |
| 2009 | 70.3 million No | +4.9% |
| 2010 | 73.6 million No | +4.7% |
| 2011 | 76.9 million No | +4.5% |
| 2012 | 80.3 million No | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 83.7 million No | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 87.2 million No | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 90.7 million No | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 94.1 million No | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 97.2 million No | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 100 million No | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 102.8 million No | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 105.7 million No | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 108.5 million No | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 111.9 million No | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 115.6 million No | +3.3% |
| 2024 | 119 million No | +2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 56.13 million No | 43.1 million No | 70.3 million No | 10 |
| 2010s | 88.65 million No | 73.6 million No | 102.8 million No | 10 |
| 2020s | 112.14 million No | 105.7 million No | 119 million No | 5 |
Countries ranked near Western Asia and Northern Africa
- 10 Democratic Republic of the Congo 3.5 million No compare
- 10 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 15 million No compare
- 11 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 2.4 million No compare
- 11 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 2.4 million No compare
- 11 Germany 14.5 million No compare
- 12 South Africa 14 million No compare
- 13 Argentina 12.5 million No compare
- 13 Melanesia 2.2 million No compare
- 14 Iraq 10.4 million No compare
- 14 Viet Nam 1.7 million No compare
- 15 Colombia 9.9 million No compare
- 15 Lao People's Democratic Republic 0.5 million No compare
- 15 Republic of Moldova 0.5 million No compare
- 16 Saudi Arabia 9.8 million No compare
More agriculture & rural data for Western Asia and Northern Africa
- Average dietary energy requirement (kcal/cap/day) — Value 2,365 kcal/cap/d (2025)
- Minimum dietary energy requirement (kcal/cap/day) — Value 1,828 kcal/cap/d (2025)
- Per capita food supply variability (kcal/cap/day) — Value 25 kcal/cap/d (2025)
- Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) 18.1 % (2024)
- Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight 7.4 % (2024)
- Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) 31.6 % (2024)
- Gross domestic product per capita, PPP, (constant 2021 international) 23,360 Int$/cap (2024)
- Percentage of population using at least basic sanitation services 91 % (2024)
- Dietary energy supply used in the estimation of the prevalence of 3,028 kcal/cap/d (2024)
- Percentage of population using safely managed sanitation services 61 % (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of obese adults (18 years and older) (million) — value in Western Asia and Northern Africa?
- Number of obese adults (18 years and older) (million) — value in Western Asia and Northern Africa was 119 million No in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest number of obese adults (18 years and older) (million) — value recorded in Western Asia and Northern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 119 million No in 2024.
- What is the lowest number of obese adults (18 years and older) (million) — value recorded in Western Asia and Northern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.1 million No in 2000.
- How does Western Asia and Northern Africa rank for number of obese adults (18 years and older) (million) — value?
- Western Asia and Northern Africa ranks 13th out of 36 groups with data for 2024.
- Is number of obese adults (18 years and older) (million) — value rising or falling in Western Asia and Northern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Western Asia and Northern Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Number of obese adults (18 years and older) (million) — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The Suite of Food Security Indicators presents the core set of food security indicators. Following the recommendation of experts gathered in the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) Round Table on hunger measurement, hosted at FAO headquarters in September 2011, an initial set of indicators aiming to capture various aspects of food insecurity is presented here. The choice of the indicators has been informed by expert judgement and the availability of data with sufficient coverage to enable comparisons across regions and over time. Many of these indicators are produced and published elsewhere by FAO and other international organizations. They are reported here in a single database with the aim of building a wide food security information system. More indicators will be added to this set as more data will become available. Indicators are classified along the four dimensions of food security -- availability, access, utilization and stability.