Obesity in DR Congo: rates, causes and where to get help

How common is obesity in DR Congo?

Around one adult in fifteen in the Democratic Republic of the Congo lives with obesity. The latest WHO estimate is 6.7 %, which ranks the country 186th of 196, among the lowest rates in the world.

Yet the population is very large. Even at this low rate, about 4 million Congolese adults live with obesity, placing the country among the 50 with the largest number of people affected.

Women and men

Obesity in the DRC is far more common among women. WHO figures show 9.1 % of women and 4.1 % of men with obesity.

Screening data point the same way. Among more than 35,000 women aged 18 to 54 who joined blood pressure screening campaigns, 36.3 % of those who were not pregnant were overweight or obese.

The national household survey

The Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) weighs and measures women aged 15 to 49 across all provinces. An analysis of its latest round, covering more than 10,700 women, found that 19.5 % were overweight or obese.

In the round before, obesity alone affected 3.4 % of women, and the share rose with age. Earlier surveys had already shown overweight among women climbing from about 10 % to 16 % over thirteen years.

Survey figures for women of childbearing age are not directly comparable with WHO estimates for all adults. Both, however, describe a slow but steady rise.

A country of contrasts

Where women live makes a big difference. In the latest survey, women in Bas-Uele, Nord-Kivu, Sud-Kivu and Maniema had much higher odds of excess weight, while those in Kongo Central and Tshuapa had lower odds.

Kinshasa also stands out. In one health zone in the capital, Lingwala, a household study found 44.4 % of adults overweight and 24.0 % with obesity, far above the national average.

In Sud-Kivu, a representative survey of adult women found a third overweight or obese, with obesity mainly in towns and among women over 35.

Children and teenagers

About 4.3 % of Congolese aged 5 to 19 live with obesity, around half the world average of 8.2 %. Unlike in adults, boys (4.2 %) and girls (4.4 %) are affected almost equally.

At the same time, acute malnutrition remains common in young children. Among children under five treated in hospital for malaria in Haut-Katanga, a third were acutely malnourished, while about one in seven was overweight. Our page on obesity in children has more on prevention.

How has obesity in DR Congo changed since 1990?

Adult obesity in the DRC has grown from 1.2 % in 1990 to 6.7 % today, more than five times higher. The rate today equals the world average of 1990.

Among women it rose from 1.5 % to 9.1 %, among men from 0.9 % to 4.1 %. In children and teenagers, the share went from 0.7 % to 4.3 %.

The rise has been steady in every decade, with no sign of slowing. Across the WHO African Region as a whole, adult obesity has reached about 12 %, up from 9 % roughly a decade before.

These gains happened alongside persistent hunger. Regional reviews describe undernutrition, obesity and climate shocks occurring in the same households rather than one replacing the other.

What is behind rising obesity in DR Congo?

In the DRC, obesity is rising mainly in cities and among wealthier families, as people move to towns, buy more processed food and do less physical work. Cultural views about body size also play a part. Our page on the causes of obesity explains how surroundings and biology interact.

Moving to the city

The longer people live in town, the higher their risk. In the Sud-Kivu study, women who had recently moved to the city had about 4.6 times the odds of excess weight, and long-term city residents about 8.7 times.

The authors link this to the nutrition transition under way in the African Great Lakes region. Their analysis showed that town life raised weight mainly through more processed food and less physical activity.

Oil, sugar and sweet products

Kinshasa diets show the change clearly. In the Lingwala study, 96.7 % of adults regularly consumed oils, sugar and sweet products, and only 14.8 % read the labels on packaged food.

In Bunia, in Ituri province, researchers point to armed conflict and a growing reliance on commercially imported foods as factors that may influence diabetes risk. Our page on the food environment explains why this matters.

Valuing a fuller body

Cultural ideas about size matter in the DRC. In the Sud-Kivu survey, women who saw a fuller body as desirable had about six times the odds of overweight or obesity.

The researchers found that this value acted directly on weight, separate from income or place of residence. It is not a personal failing; it shows how shared ideas about beauty and health can make early weight gain seem harmless.

Income and status

As in most lower-income countries, excess weight in the DRC is more common among better-off women. In Sud-Kivu, women of high socio-economic status had more than twice the odds of overweight or obesity.

In the same analysis, higher status worked through the same route as town life: more processed food and less physical activity. Age added to the risk mainly because older women moved less.

Food insecurity and climate shocks

Across Africa, food insecurity has grown in recent years. A review in Current Obesity Reports found that extreme weather and other climate shocks reduce dietary variety and push families towards cheap, energy-dense food.

That helps explain how a parent can gain weight while a child is undernourished. Both reflect diets low in vegetables, legumes and protein.

How obesity affects health in DR Congo

Excess weight in the DRC is closely tied to high blood pressure and diabetes, which are rising and often untreated. In Kinshasa's Lingwala zone, about one adult in seven was both overweight and had raised blood sugar.

In Bunia, a study of more than 1,800 adults found diabetes in 6.3 % and prediabetes in 12.2 %. Abdominal obesity and long hours of sitting were among the linked factors.

High blood pressure is common in towns and villages alike. In the rural Nyiragongo health zone in Nord-Kivu, 36.1 % of adults had hypertension, but only 2.4 % of them were on treatment.

In Sud-Kivu, rural adults had higher rates of hypertension than people in Bukavu city, which the authors link to an older population, unhealthy habits and low detection. Read more on our page about the health risks of obesity.

Knowledge is uneven. Among market vendors in Butembo, nearly two thirds saw weight loss as a sign of diabetes, while only about half named a healthy diet as a way to prevent it.

What DR Congo is doing about obesity

Child undernutrition and infectious disease remain urgent priorities in the DRC, and researchers note that national evidence on who is most affected by excess weight is still scarce. The main steps so far concern access to care and screening.

Universal health coverage

The government is rolling out universal health coverage (Couverture santé universelle, CSU). Its first package makes childbirth and newborn care free of charge and is in place in several provinces, including Kinshasa and Nord-Kivu.

According to the health ministry, more than a million women have given birth without paying under the scheme. Pregnancy and antenatal visits are good moments to check weight and blood pressure.

Screening campaigns

Much of what is known about blood pressure and weight in the DRC comes from yearly May Measurement Month campaigns. Screening teams measure blood pressure, weight and height for tens of thousands of people.

Researchers behind these campaigns call for better antenatal care, family planning and screening to catch problems early. They note that pregnant women in the campaigns had higher rates of overweight and obesity (44.7 %) than other women.

Gaps that remain

Researchers studying Congolese women call for nutrition programmes that take differences between provinces into account. In Kinshasa, reading food labels was linked to blood sugar status, which suggests that teaching people to read labels could help.

The Sud-Kivu team urges public authorities to consider social and cultural factors, such as views on body size, alongside income and urban living.

Where can you get help with obesity in DR Congo?

The health system in the DRC is organised into health zones, each with local health centres. A centre de santé is usually the first place to go for a check of weight, waist, blood pressure and blood sugar.

If you are pregnant, use your antenatal visits to talk about weight, especially where maternity care is free under the CSU. Hospitals in the larger cities have doctors who treat diabetes and heart disease.

Look out for free screening days, such as blood pressure campaigns in May. Many people with high blood pressure or diabetes in the DRC do not know they have it.

Our doctor visit checklist helps you prepare questions. If you have faced hurtful comments about your weight, our page on weight stigma in healthcare may help.

DR Congo compared with the world

The DRC's adult obesity rate of 6.7 % is well under half the world average of 16.2 %. For young people aged 5 to 19, it is 4.3 % against 8.2 % worldwide.

In 1990 the Congolese rate was less than a fifth of the global figure. The country has caught up in relative terms, but remains among the dozen lowest in the world.

In Central Africa, neighbouring Republic of the Congo (12.2 %), Angola (12.7 %) and the Central African Republic (10.9 %) have higher rates. To the east, Uganda (9.5 %) is also higher, while Rwanda (5.6 %) and Burundi (5.2 %) are lower.

Explore other countries on our page about obesity by country.

How Obesity Foundation can help you in DR Congo

We help people lose weight and become healthier through good food, the right amount of exercise and walking, and it is all free. Before changing your diet or starting new exercise, talk to your doctor or nurse first.

• Eating plan: our eating plan can be built on Congolese foods. Choose pondu (cassava leaves), amaranth and other greens, beans, fish and fruit, use less palm oil and sugar, and keep fufu or chikwangue portions modest.
• Walking: our walking plan begins with short walks you can fit into a normal day, such as going to the market on foot.
• Gentle exercise: try low impact cardio, with simple moves that protect your knees and back.
• Video meeting: book a free video meeting (in English) with our team to discuss your goals.
• Club: our free club shares helpful tips and keeps you motivated.
• Calculators: check your BMI, waist risk and a safe weekly target with our tools.

Read what obesity is for a clear explanation of the condition and how it is measured.