Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight was 8.4 % in 2024. ▲ Rising
Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Saudi Arabia, 2000–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Saudi Arabia is 8.4 %, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.7% on the previous year and down 18.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Saudi Arabia peaked at 10.9 % in 2017 and was at its lowest, 3.7 %, in 2000.
Saudi Arabia ranks 51st of 148 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.7 % | — |
| 2001 | 4.1 % | +10.8% |
| 2002 | 4.5 % | +9.8% |
| 2003 | 4.9 % | +8.9% |
| 2004 | 5.3 % | +8.2% |
| 2005 | 5.8 % | +9.4% |
| 2006 | 6.3 % | +8.6% |
| 2007 | 6.8 % | +7.9% |
| 2008 | 7.4 % | +8.8% |
| 2009 | 7.9 % | +6.8% |
| 2010 | 8.5 % | +7.6% |
| 2011 | 9 % | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 9.5 % | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 9.9 % | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 10.3 % | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 10.6 % | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 10.8 % | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 10.9 % | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 10.9 % | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 10.8 % | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 10.6 % | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 10.2 % | -3.8% |
| 2022 | 9.7 % | -4.9% |
| 2023 | 9.1 % | -6.2% |
| 2024 | 8.4 % | -7.7% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 8.4 % is below the median for high income countries, which is 8.6 %, 98% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 8.4 % is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 8.7 %, 97% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.67 % | 3.7 % | 7.9 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.12 % | 8.5 % | 10.9 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.6 % | 8.4 % | 10.6 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 50 El Salvador 8.5 % compare
- 52 Nauru 8.2 % compare
- 53 Bhutan 8 % compare
- 54 Costa Rica 7.9 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for Saudi Arabia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.2 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0259 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 894.48 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 3.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1539 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Saudi Arabia?
- Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Saudi Arabia was 8.4 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 10.9 % in 2017.
- What is the lowest percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.7 % in 2000.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 51st out of 148 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight (modelled estimates) (percent) — 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.