Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) was 8.2 % in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Sierra Leone, 2000–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Sierra Leone is 8.2 %, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 36.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Sierra Leone peaked at 8.2 % in 2024 and was at its lowest, 3.5 %, in 2000.
That places Sierra Leone 169th out of 184 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.5 % | — |
| 2001 | 3.7 % | +5.7% |
| 2002 | 4 % | +8.1% |
| 2003 | 4.2 % | +5.0% |
| 2004 | 4.4 % | +4.8% |
| 2005 | 4.7 % | +6.8% |
| 2006 | 4.9 % | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 5.1 % | +4.1% |
| 2008 | 5.2 % | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 5.4 % | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 5.5 % | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 5.6 % | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 5.7 % | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 5.9 % | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 6 % | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 6.2 % | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 6.3 % | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 6.5 % | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 6.7 % | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 6.9 % | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 7.2 % | +4.3% |
| 2021 | 7.4 % | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 7.7 % | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 7.9 % | +2.6% |
| 2024 | 8.2 % | +3.8% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 8.2 % is below the median for low income countries, which is 9.2 %, 89% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 8.2 % is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.7 %, 65% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.51 % | 3.5 % | 5.4 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.13 % | 5.5 % | 6.9 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.68 % | 7.2 % | 8.2 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More agriculture & rural data for Sierra Leone
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2954 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 250 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5407 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 29.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 29.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.4% (2018)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2018)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Sierra Leone?
- Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Sierra Leone was 8.2 % 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 8.2 % in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5 % in 2000.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older)?
- Sierra Leone ranks 169th out of 184 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.