Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Southern Africa

Southern Africa: Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight was 12.1 % in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
12.1 %
Change on year
down 0.8%
Rank
3rd
of 37 groups
All-time high
12.4 %
in 2014
All-time low
10.8 %
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Southern Africa, 2000–2024

02.557.51012.52000201220242000: 10.8 %2001: 10.9 %2002: 11 %2003: 11.1 %2004: 11.2 %2005: 11.3 %2006: 11.4 %2007: 11.6 %2008: 11.8 %2009: 11.9 %2010: 12.1 %2011: 12.2 %2012: 12.3 %2013: 12.3 %2014: 12.4 %2015: 12.4 %2016: 12.4 %2017: 12.4 %2018: 12.4 %2019: 12.4 %2020: 12.3 %2021: 12.3 %2022: 12.2 %2023: 12.2 %2024: 12.1 %

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 Southern Africa is 12.1 %, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Southern Africa peaked at 12.4 % in 2014 and was at its lowest, 10.8 %, in 2000.

That places Southern Africa 3rd out of 37 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

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 Southern Africa, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight (modelled estimates) (percent) — Value in Southern Africa, 2000 to 2024.
Year % Change
2000 10.8 %
2001 10.9 % +0.9%
2002 11 % +0.9%
2003 11.1 % +0.9%
2004 11.2 % +0.9%
2005 11.3 % +0.9%
2006 11.4 % +0.9%
2007 11.6 % +1.8%
2008 11.8 % +1.7%
2009 11.9 % +0.8%
2010 12.1 % +1.7%
2011 12.2 % +0.8%
2012 12.3 % +0.8%
2013 12.3 % +0.0%
2014 12.4 % +0.8%
2015 12.4 % +0.0%
2016 12.4 % +0.0%
2017 12.4 % +0.0%
2018 12.4 % +0.0%
2019 12.4 % +0.0%
2020 12.3 % -0.8%
2021 12.3 % +0.0%
2022 12.2 % -0.8%
2023 12.2 % +0.0%
2024 12.1 % -0.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 11.3 % 10.8 % 11.9 % 10
2010s 12.33 % 12.1 % 12.4 % 10
2020s 12.22 % 12.1 % 12.3 % 5

Countries ranked near Southern Africa

  1. 1 Australia 26.4 % compare
  2. 1 Melanesia 16.6 % compare
  3. 2 Syrian Arab Republic 11 % compare
  4. 2 Australia and New Zealand 23.4 % compare
  5. 3 Papua New Guinea 18.5 % compare
  6. 3 Viet Nam 10.5 % compare
  7. 4 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 9.9 % compare
  8. 4 Tunisia 17.5 % compare
  9. 5 Albania 16.7 % compare
  10. 5 Polynesia 8.9 % compare
  11. 6 Ukraine 16 % compare

See the full ranking of 204 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Southern Africa

All data for Southern Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Southern Africa?
Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Southern Africa was 12.1 % 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 Southern Africa?
The highest recorded value was 12.4 % in 2014.
What is the lowest percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight recorded in Southern Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 10.8 % in 2000.
How does Southern Africa rank for percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight?
Southern Africa ranks 3rd out of 37 groups with data for 2024.
Is percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight rising or falling in Southern Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Southern Africa 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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Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight in Southern Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-children-under-5-years-of-age-who-are-overweight-modelled-estimates-percent/southern-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight (modelled estimates) (percent) — Value
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
204 places, 5,100 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

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.