Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) was 20.6 % in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Afghanistan, 2000–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Afghanistan stood at 20.6 %. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.1% on the previous year and up 74.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Afghanistan peaked at 20.6 % in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.4 %, in 2000.
Afghanistan ranks 110th of 184 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.
Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.4 % | — |
| 2001 | 4.8 % | +9.1% |
| 2002 | 5.1 % | +6.2% |
| 2003 | 5.5 % | +7.8% |
| 2004 | 6 % | +9.1% |
| 2005 | 6.4 % | +6.7% |
| 2006 | 6.9 % | +7.8% |
| 2007 | 7.4 % | +7.2% |
| 2008 | 7.9 % | +6.8% |
| 2009 | 8.5 % | +7.6% |
| 2010 | 9.1 % | +7.1% |
| 2011 | 9.7 % | +6.6% |
| 2012 | 10.3 % | +6.2% |
| 2013 | 11 % | +6.8% |
| 2014 | 11.8 % | +7.3% |
| 2015 | 12.5 % | +5.9% |
| 2016 | 13.4 % | +7.2% |
| 2017 | 14.2 % | +6.0% |
| 2018 | 15.1 % | +6.3% |
| 2019 | 15.9 % | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 16.8 % | +5.7% |
| 2021 | 17.8 % | +6.0% |
| 2022 | 18.7 % | +5.1% |
| 2023 | 19.6 % | +4.8% |
| 2024 | 20.6 % | +5.1% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 20.6 % is above the median for low income countries, which is 9.2 %, 2.2× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 20.6 % is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 30.7 %, 67% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.29 % | 4.4 % | 8.5 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.3 % | 9.1 % | 15.9 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.7 % | 16.8 % | 20.6 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More agriculture & rural data for Afghanistan
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3429 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 142.96 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0018 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7406 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 34.3% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 34.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 21.0% (2019)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.8% (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Afghanistan?
- Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Afghanistan was 20.6 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 20.6 % in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.4 % in 2000.
- How does Afghanistan rank for prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older)?
- Afghanistan ranks 110th out of 184 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 74.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) (percent) — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
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.