Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Malawi
Malawi: Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) was 8 % in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Malawi, 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 Malawi stood at 8 %. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.3% on the previous year and up 60.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Malawi peaked at 8 % in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.2 %, in 2000.
Malawi ranks 171st of 184 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
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 Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.2 % | — |
| 2001 | 2.3 % | +4.5% |
| 2002 | 2.5 % | +8.7% |
| 2003 | 2.7 % | +8.0% |
| 2004 | 2.8 % | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 3 % | +7.1% |
| 2006 | 3.2 % | +6.7% |
| 2007 | 3.4 % | +6.2% |
| 2008 | 3.6 % | +5.9% |
| 2009 | 3.8 % | +5.6% |
| 2010 | 4 % | +5.3% |
| 2011 | 4.3 % | +7.5% |
| 2012 | 4.5 % | +4.7% |
| 2013 | 4.7 % | +4.4% |
| 2014 | 5 % | +6.4% |
| 2015 | 5.2 % | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 5.5 % | +5.8% |
| 2017 | 5.8 % | +5.5% |
| 2018 | 6.1 % | +5.2% |
| 2019 | 6.4 % | +4.9% |
| 2020 | 6.7 % | +4.7% |
| 2021 | 7 % | +4.5% |
| 2022 | 7.3 % | +4.3% |
| 2023 | 7.6 % | +4.1% |
| 2024 | 8 % | +5.3% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 8 % is below the median for low income countries, which is 9.2 %, 87% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 8 % is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.7 %, 63% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.95 % | 2.2 % | 3.8 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.15 % | 4 % | 6.4 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.32 % | 6.7 % | 8 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 168 Republic of Korea 8.4 % compare
- 169 Sierra Leone 8.2 % compare
- 170 Myanmar 8.1 % compare
- 171 India 8 % compare
- 171 Nepal 8 % compare
- 174 Burkina Faso 7.7 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for Malawi
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 24.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3003 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 201.66 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.19 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0012 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.8241 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 30.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 30.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Malawi?
- Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Malawi was 8 % 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 8 % in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2 % in 2000.
- How does Malawi rank for prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older)?
- Malawi ranks 171st out of 184 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 60.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi 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
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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.