Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) was 11.2 % in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Sri Lanka, 2000–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 11.2 % for prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.7% on the previous year and up 69.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Sri Lanka peaked at 11.2 % in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.4 %, in 2000.
That places Sri Lanka 158th 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.4 % | — |
| 2001 | 2.6 % | +8.3% |
| 2002 | 2.8 % | +7.7% |
| 2003 | 3.1 % | +10.7% |
| 2004 | 3.3 % | +6.5% |
| 2005 | 3.6 % | +9.1% |
| 2006 | 3.9 % | +8.3% |
| 2007 | 4.1 % | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 4.4 % | +7.3% |
| 2009 | 4.8 % | +9.1% |
| 2010 | 5.1 % | +6.2% |
| 2011 | 5.4 % | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 5.8 % | +7.4% |
| 2013 | 6.2 % | +6.9% |
| 2014 | 6.6 % | +6.5% |
| 2015 | 7 % | +6.1% |
| 2016 | 7.4 % | +5.7% |
| 2017 | 7.9 % | +6.8% |
| 2018 | 8.3 % | +5.1% |
| 2019 | 8.8 % | +6.0% |
| 2020 | 9.2 % | +4.5% |
| 2021 | 9.7 % | +5.4% |
| 2022 | 10.2 % | +5.2% |
| 2023 | 10.7 % | +4.9% |
| 2024 | 11.2 % | +4.7% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 11.2 % is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 27.8 %, 40% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 11.2 % is above the median for South Asia, which is 9.6 %, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.5 % | 2.4 % | 4.8 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.85 % | 5.1 % | 8.8 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.2 % | 9.2 % | 11.2 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 156 Kenya 11.3 % compare
- 156 Switzerland 11.3 % compare
- 158 France 11.2 % compare
- 160 Haiti 11.1 % compare
- 161 Central African Republic 10.9 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sri Lanka
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0836 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9172 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7955 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Sri Lanka?
- Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Sri Lanka was 11.2 % 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 11.2 % in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4 % in 2000.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older)?
- Sri Lanka ranks 158th out of 184 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 69.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.
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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.