Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight in South Africa

South Africa: Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight was 12.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
12.8%
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
19th
of 178 countries
All-time high
13.3%
in 2015
All-time low
11.3%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight in South Africa, 2000–2024

0510152000201220242000: 11.3 per pop u52001: 11.5 per pop u52002: 11.6 per pop u52003: 11.7 per pop u52004: 11.9 per pop u52005: 12 per pop u52006: 12.1 per pop u52007: 12.3 per pop u52008: 12.5 per pop u52009: 12.7 per pop u52010: 12.8 per pop u52011: 13 per pop u52012: 13.1 per pop u52013: 13.2 per pop u52014: 13.2 per pop u52015: 13.3 per pop u52016: 13.3 per pop u52017: 13.3 per pop u52018: 13.3 per pop u52019: 13.3 per pop u52020: 13.2 per pop u52021: 13.1 per pop u52022: 13 per pop u52023: 12.9 per pop u52024: 12.8 per pop u5

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in per pop u5.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 12.8% for proportion of children moderately or severely overweight in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 3.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, proportion of children moderately or severely overweight in South Africa peaked at 13.3% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 11.3%, in 2000.

That places South Africa 19th out of 178 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight (%) in South Africa, 2000 to 2024.
Year per pop u5 Change
2000 11.3%
2001 11.5% +1.8%
2002 11.6% +0.9%
2003 11.7% +0.9%
2004 11.9% +1.7%
2005 12.0% +0.8%
2006 12.1% +0.8%
2007 12.3% +1.7%
2008 12.5% +1.6%
2009 12.7% +1.6%
2010 12.8% +0.8%
2011 13.0% +1.6%
2012 13.1% +0.8%
2013 13.2% +0.8%
2014 13.2% +0.0%
2015 13.3% +0.8%
2016 13.3% +0.0%
2017 13.3% +0.0%
2018 13.3% +0.0%
2019 13.3% +0.0%
2020 13.2% -0.8%
2021 13.1% -0.8%
2022 13.0% -0.8%
2023 12.9% -0.8%
2024 12.8% -0.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 12.0% 11.3% 12.7% 10
2010s 13.2% 12.8% 13.3% 10
2020s 13.0% 12.8% 13.2% 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 16 Barbados 13.0% compare
  2. 16 Bosnia and Herzegovina 13.0% compare
  3. 18 Armenia 12.9% compare
  4. 20 Mongolia 12.3% compare
  5. 20 North Macedonia 12.3% compare
  6. 22 Serbia 12.2% compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More infrastructure data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is proportion of children moderately or severely overweight in South Africa?
Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight in South Africa was 12.8% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest proportion of children moderately or severely overweight recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 13.3% in 2015.
What is the lowest proportion of children moderately or severely overweight recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 11.3% in 2000.
How does South Africa rank for proportion of children moderately or severely overweight?
South Africa ranks 19th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
Is proportion of children moderately or severely overweight rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-children-moderately-or-severely-overweight-percent/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-children-moderately-or-severely-overweight-percent/south-africa/">Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight (%)
Unit
per pop u5
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
211 places, 5,275 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed