A 2025 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS7) has found that overweight and obesity are significantly more prevalent among women than men in Rwanda, particularly in the 20–49 age group, raising growing public health concerns.
The report released by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR)) shows that 35% of women aged 20–49 are overweight or obese, compared to 12% of men in the same age group.
Among adolescents aged 15–19, the gap remains wide, with 21.1% of girls classified as overweight or obese, while only 1.5% of boys fall into the same category.
The findings suggest that excess weight and obesity among women are a more pressing public health challenge than undernutrition, as only 4% of women aged 20–49 are underweight.
The survey also examined height and weight indicators. Data from 7,249 women aged 15–49 shows that 2% of women aged 20–49 are shorter than 145 cm. Among adolescent girls, 11% are below the expected height for their age.
For men, data from 6,058 respondents aged 15–49 indicates that 7% of those aged 20–49 are underweight, highlighting clear gender disparities in nutritional outcomes across the population.
