Body Weight & BMI
Your BMI against your country and the world, with the country whose average is closest to yours. Global mean is 24.5 for men and 24.8 for women. A comparison, not a health verdict.
In United States, you are in the
23
percentile for BMI
Your BMI of 24.5 is similar to the average person in South Korea.
BMI distribution, United States
In our data (NCD-RisC, 2016), the highest national averages are in Samoa and Tonga, both above 32. The lowest is Ethiopia (20.6). The global average is 24.5 for men and 24.8 for women.
In context
To put weight in context: a blue whale has an approximate BMI equivalent of ~5 (enormous volume, perfectly buoyant). An elite marathon runner averages ~18. A sumo wrestler: ~43. Your 24.5 sits in the athletic range. BMI is one lens, not the whole picture.
Reference tables: average bmi in United States and average bmi by country.
Look up a value: Is a BMI of 27 high? and other percentile lookups.
Related tests
About this test
You enter weight and height; the module computes BMI (kg/m²) and places it on a normal curve for your country and sex. Global means are 24.5 for men (SD 5.5) and 24.8 for women (SD 6.2). It then names the country whose mean is closest to your value.
National means run from 20.1 for Ethiopian men to 34.3 for Samoan women. The US averages 29.0 for men and 29.1 for women; Japan 23.7 and 21.8; Norway 27.4 and 26.3. Source: NCD-RisC mean BMI for 2016, Lancet 2017.
What is a normal BMI?
WHO calls 18.5 to 24.9 the normal range, 25 to 29.9 overweight, 30 and above obese. The global mean sits at the top of normal: 24.5 for men and 24.8 for women (NCD-RisC 2016). In the US the mean for both sexes is above 29, so average and normal are not the same thing there.
Is a BMI of 27 high?
27 is in the overweight range but close to the mean in Norway (27.4 for men) and the UK (27.5). Against the global male distribution (mean 24.5, SD 5.5) it is around the 67th percentile.
Which country has the highest average BMI?
In the NCD-RisC 2016 data, Samoa and Tonga: above 30 for men and about 34 for women. The lowest is Ethiopia at 20.1 for men and 21.1 for women. Japan is the lowest among high-income countries at 23.7 and 21.8.
Percentiles above come from the same parameters the Body Weight & BMI module uses. See the methodology for how they are calculated.