Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight in Southern Africa
Southern Africa: Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight was 12.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight in Southern Africa, 2000–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in per pop u5.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of children moderately or severely overweight in Southern Africa is 12.1%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of children moderately or severely overweight in Southern Africa peaked at 12.4% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 10.8%, in 2000.
Southern Africa ranks 2nd of 33 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight in Southern Africa, year by year
| Year | per pop u5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 10.8% | — |
| 2001 | 10.9% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 11.0% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 11.1% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 11.2% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 11.3% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 11.4% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 11.6% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 11.8% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 11.9% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 12.1% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 12.2% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 12.3% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 12.3% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 12.4% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 12.4% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 12.4% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 12.4% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 12.4% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 12.4% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 12.3% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 12.3% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 12.2% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 12.2% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 12.1% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.3% | 10.8% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.3% | 12.1% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.2% | 12.1% | 12.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Southern Africa
- 1 Australia 26.4% compare
- 2 Australia and New Zealand 23.4% compare
- 3 Papua New Guinea 18.5% compare
- 4 Turks and Caicos Islands 18.3% compare
- 5 Tunisia 17.5% compare
More infrastructure data for Southern Africa
- Proportion of children moderately or severely stunted 24.1% (2024)
- Proportion of the target population who received 3 doses of 76.0% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 0.6% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 0.5% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 0.3% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 0.2% (2024)
- Proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural 2.3% (2024)
- Total official flows for infrastructure, by recipient countries 2,644 million constant US$ (2024)
- Total reserves in months of imports 5.55 ratio (2024)
- Proportion of local breeds classified as being at risk of extinction 74.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of children moderately or severely overweight in Southern Africa?
- Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight in Southern Africa was 12.1% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of children moderately or severely overweight recorded in Southern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 12.4% in 2014.
- What is the lowest proportion of children moderately or severely overweight recorded in Southern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.8% in 2000.
- How does Southern Africa rank for proportion of children moderately or severely overweight?
- Southern Africa ranks 2nd out of 33 groups with data for 2024.
- Is proportion of children moderately or severely overweight rising or falling in Southern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Southern 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).