Top 25 Countries With the Highest Obesity Rates in Women (2022)

In 2024, obesity continues to be a major global health concern, especially among women in certain regions. The latest data reveals that island nations and some Middle Eastern countries top the list of countries with the highest obesity rates among women.

Key Highlights:

• Tonga and American Samoa share the highest prevalence of obesity in women at 81%.
• Other Pacific Island nations like Samoa, Tokelau, Tuvalu, and Cook Islands follow closely, each reporting rates between 73% and 75%.
• Egypt leads among African nations with 59% prevalence.
• Middle Eastern countries such as Qatar and Kuwait also appear in the top 25.
• South Africa rounds out the list with 47%.

These high percentages underscore the need for focused public health strategies addressing diet, lifestyle, and healthcare access for women.

Global Ranking of Female Obesity by Country:

Rank	Country/Region/World	Prevalence of obesity in women
1	Tonga	81%
2	American Samoa	81%
3	Samoa	75%
4	Tokelau	75%
5	Tuvalu	73%
6	Cook Islands	73%
7	Nauru	73%
8	Niue	71%
9	Egypt	59%
10	Federated States of Micronesia	57%
11	Kiribati	57%
12	Marshall Islands	57%
13	Bahamas	56%
14	Saint Kitts and Nevis	55%
15	Belize	53%
16	Qatar	52%
17	French Polynesia	51%
18	Kuwait	50%
19	Jamaica	50%
20	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	50%
21	Iraq	49%
22	Barbados	49%
23	Saudi Arabia	48%
24	Libya	48%
25	South Africa	47%
26	State of Palestine	47%
27	Saint Lucia	47%
28	Puerto Rico	47%
29	Jordan	46%
30	Dominica	46%
31	Eswatini	45%
32	Palau	45%
33	Chile	45%
34	Bahrain	44%
35	Panama	44%
36	United States of America	44%
37	Fiji	43%
38	Grenada	43%
39	Antigua and Barbuda	43%
40	Bermuda	43%
41	Syrian Arab Republic	43%
42	Turkiye	43%
43	Mexico	41%
44	Oman	41%
45	Seychelles	41%
46	United Arab Emirates	41%
47	Nicaragua	40%
48	Suriname	40%
49	Guyana	39%
50	Costa Rica	39%
51	El Salvador	38%
52	Argentina	37%
53	Honduras	37%
54	Paraguay	37%
55	Uruguay	37%
56	Dominican Republic	37%
57	Georgia	36%
58	Mauritania	36%
59	Bolivia	36%
60	New Zealand	36%
61	Tunisia	35%
62	Trinidad and Tobago	35%
63	Uzbekistan	34%
64	Brunei Darussalam	34%
65	Azerbaijan	34%
66	Lesotho	34%
67	Ecuador	33%
68	Algeria	33%
69	Gabon	33%
70	Brazil	33%
71	Peru	33%
72	Guatemala	32%
73	Iran	32%
74	Romania	32%
75	Lebanon	32%
76	Morocco	31%
77	Greenland	31%
78	Equatorial Guinea	30%
79	Australia	30%
80	Colombia	30%
81	Kyrgyzstan	30%
82	Malta	29%
83	Armenia	29%
84	Hungary	29%
85	Tajikistan	29%
86	Solomon Islands	29%
87	United Kingdom	28%
88	Croatia	28%
89	Botswana	28%
90	Ireland	28%
91	North Macedonia	28%
92	Greece	28%
93	Ukraine	28%
94	Malaysia	27%
95	Mongolia	27%
96	Vanuatu	27%
97	Pakistan	27%
98	Albania	26%
99	Papua New Guinea	26%
100	Mauritius	26%
101	Cuba	26%
102	Venezuela	26%
103	Comoros	25%
104	Canada	25%
105	Moldova	25%
106	Russian Federation	25%
107	Turkmenistan	25%
108	Poland	25%
109	Afghanistan	24%
110	Sao Tome and Principe	24%
111	Maldives	24%
112	Lithuania	24%
113	Latvia	24%
114	Slovakia	24%
115	Somalia	24%
116	Namibia	24%
117	Cabo Verde	24%
118	Belarus	24%
119	Sudan	23%
120	Czechia	23%
121	Portugal	23%
122	Israel	23%
123	Estonia	22%
124	Finland	22%
125	Zimbabwe	22%
126	Liberia	22%
127	Bosnia and Herzegovina	22%
128	Belgium	21%
129	Cameroon	21%
130	Ghana	21%
131	Cyprus	21%
132	Gambia	21%
133	Serbia	20%
134	Iceland	20%
135	Kenya	19%
136	Tanzania	19%
137	Germany	19%
138	Kazakhstan	19%
139	Thailand	19%
140	Bulgaria	19%
141	Togo	18%
142	Norway	18%
143	Yemen	18%
144	Italy	18%
145	Nigeria	17%
146	Luxembourg	17%
147	Zambia	17%
148	Djibouti	17%
149	Angola	17%
150	Indonesia	17%
151	Cote d’Ivoire	16%
152	Senegal	16%
153	Montenegro	16%
154	Bhutan	16%
155	Andorra	16%
156	Benin	16%
157	Guinea Bissau	15%
158	Haiti	15%
159	Netherlands	15%
160	Sri Lanka	15%
161	Mozambique	14%
162	Slovenia	14%
163	Sweden	14%
164	Mali	13%
165	North Korea	13%
166	Congo	13%
167	Guinea	13%
168	Spain	13%
169	Central African Republic	13%
170	Austria	13%
171	Malawi	12%
172	South Sudan	12%
173	Sierra Leone	12%
174	Uganda	12%
175	Singapore	12%
176	Denmark	11%
177	Philippines	11%
178	Lao PDR	11%
179	Taiwan	10%
180	Switzerland	10%
181	France	10%
182	India	10%
183	Myanmar	10%
184	Burkina Faso	10%
185	DR Congo	9%
186	Nepal	9%
187	Rwanda	8%
188	Niger	8%
189	Bangladesh	8%
190	China	8%
191	Eritrea	7%
192	Chad	6%
193	Cambodia	6%
194	South Korea	6%
195	Ethiopia	5%
196	Madagascar	4%
197	Burundi	4%
198	Japan	4%
199	Timor-Leste	3%
200	Viet Nam	2%

What Is Obesity and What Does BMI Mean?

Obesity is a medical condition characterized by excessive body fat that can negatively affect a person’s health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a person is classified as obese when their Body Mass Index (BMI) is equal to or greater than 30 kilograms per square meter (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²).

BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a simple screening tool used globally to categorize individuals based on their weight relative to their height. It is calculated using the following formula:

BMI = weight (kg) / [height (m)]²

For example, a person who weighs 70 kilograms and is 1.75 meters tall would have a BMI of:

70 / (1.75 × 1.75) = 22.86, which falls in the normal range.

BMI Classification:

• Underweight: BMI less than 18.5
• Normal weight: BMI between 18.5 and 24.9
• Overweight: BMI between 25 and 29.9
• Obesity: BMI 30 or above

While BMI is a useful population-level indicator of obesity, it does not distinguish between fat and muscle mass, and may not accurately reflect health status in all individuals. However, it remains a standard metric in public health data and obesity prevalence studies.

Source:

NcD-RisC, National Adult Body-Mass Index, 2022.