Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) was 14.7 % in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Zimbabwe, 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 Zimbabwe stood at 14.7 %. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 36.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Zimbabwe peaked at 14.7 % in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.8 %, in 2000.
That places Zimbabwe 137th out of 184 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.8 % | — |
| 2001 | 7 % | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 7.3 % | +4.3% |
| 2003 | 7.5 % | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 7.7 % | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 8 % | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 8.3 % | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 8.5 % | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 8.8 % | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 9.1 % | +3.4% |
| 2010 | 9.4 % | +3.3% |
| 2011 | 9.7 % | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 10.1 % | +4.1% |
| 2013 | 10.4 % | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 10.8 % | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 11.1 % | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 11.5 % | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 11.9 % | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 12.2 % | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 12.6 % | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 13 % | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 13.4 % | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 13.8 % | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 14.3 % | +3.6% |
| 2024 | 14.7 % | +2.8% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 14.7 % is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 16.8 %, 87% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 14.7 % is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.7 %, 1.2× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.9 % | 6.8 % | 9.1 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.97 % | 9.4 % | 12.6 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.84 % | 13 % | 14.7 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More agriculture & rural data for Zimbabwe
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 34.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0947 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 286.19 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8815 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.595 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 9.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 9.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Zimbabwe?
- Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) in Zimbabwe was 14.7 % 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 14.7 % in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.8 % in 2000.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older)?
- Zimbabwe ranks 137th out of 184 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.