…Masvingo leads with shocking 55.6%
By TellZim Reporter
MASVINGO – Shocking statistics from the recently released Zimbabwe Livelihood Assessment Committee (ZimLAC) 2025 Urban Livelihoods Assessment Report have revealed that 49.5 percent of Zimbabwean adults aged between 18 to 59 years were overweight or obese, with Masvingo Province recording an alarming 55.6 percent prevalence rate, the highest in the country.
According to the report, “Nationally, 49.5 percent of adults aged 18-59 years were overweight and obese. Masvingo (55.6 percent) had the highest proportion of adults who were overweight and obese.
Having excess fat deposits in the body leads to serious health consequences such as cardiovascular disease (mainly heart disease and stroke), type 2 diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders like osteoarthritis, and some cancers (endometrial, breast and colon).”
The statistics for Masvingo Province show a worrying increase from 54.9 percent in 2024 to 55.6 percent in 2025, indicating a growing health crisis in the province.
Nationally, 45.5 percent of adults were classified as having normal weight, marking a slight increase from last year’s 44.8 percent. However, 5.0 percent were rated as underweight, a marginal decrease from last year’s 5.2 percent.
Women topped the statistics for obese women nationally with 27.4 percent while men accounted for 6.1 percent. Women also accounted for 30.7 percent of overweight adults within the same age range of 18-59 years while men accounted for 23 percent.
Only 38.5 percent of women had a normal body mass index while men had 61.9 percent.
While Bulawayo has the highest proportion of people with normal weight at 47.7 percent, the province also recorded the highest number of people with below normal weight at 7.4 percent, highlighting the complex nutritional challenges facing different regions.
Obesity has become a growing public health crisis globally, with statistics showing that about 880 million people worldwide were obese in 2022. World Health Organisation (WHO) data indicates that one in eight people across the world were living with obesity, while 2.5 billion adults were overweight in 2022.
The public health crisis has also become a concern among children, with an estimated 35 million children under the age of five years affected globally. In Africa, the number of overweight children is said to have increased by 12.1 percent, mirroring the troubling trend seen in Zimbabwe.
The rising trend of overweight and obesity in Zimbabwe, particularly in Masvingo Province, highlights the urgent need for comprehensive public health interventions and awareness campaigns to address this growing health challenge before it escalates further.
