Height vs BMI: ten destinations and the USA
A two-axis comparison of women’s mean height and mean BMI. Bubble area is implied weight; the USA is the baseline.
Height runs left to right, BMI bottom to top, and bubble area is implied weight. The inputs are country means, not measurements of individuals.
What the chart says
- BMI and height are different variables, so neither should stand in for the other. The two-axis view avoids the false precision of a single ranking.
- The bubbles are a derived illustration. They are based on the published BMI and height means, not on a measured country-weight series.
All 11
The full set shown in the image, ordered by mean female BMI.
| # | Market | Adults overweight, both sexes | Women’s height | Women’s BMI, 20–39 | Women’s implied weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 24.4% | 158.5 cm | 21.0 | 52.8 kg |
| 2 | Vietnam | 20.0% | 158.4 cm | 21.6 | 54.1 kg |
| 3 | South Korea | 36.7% | 163.2 cm | 22.2 | 59.1 kg |
| 4 | Philippines | 37.3% | 154.1 cm | 23.3 | 55.3 kg |
| 5 | Kenya | 32.1% | 159.4 cm | 24.0 | 61.1 kg |
| 6 | Thailand | 47.2% | 159.4 cm | 24.5 | 62.4 kg |
| 7 | Ukraine | 56.2% | 166.6 cm | 25.2 | 69.9 kg |
| 8 | Colombia | 61.1% | 158.0 cm | 25.4 | 63.3 kg |
| 9 | Brazil | 65.0% | 162.4 cm | 25.7 | 67.9 kg |
| 10 | Mexico | 74.2% | 157.9 cm | 27.3 | 68.2 kg |
| 11 | USA | 71.4% | 163.3 cm | 27.7 | 73.9 kg |
Height is women at age 19 (2019); BMI is women 20–39 (2016). Bubble area and implied-weight column are derived, not measured.
Where this is wrong
- Country means say nothing about an individual, a specific city, or attractiveness.
- BMI and height use different NCD-RisC releases and age bands; the derived weight must not be treated as a direct observation.
Sources
NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC), BMI 2016 and height 2019 releases.
For decisions that are city-specific, use the research desk.
More charts
Sort actual locations by the factors that change from city to city: ratio, cost and safety.
The per-market deep-dives — 13 tabs of cost, visa, tax, safety and sub-national ratio for one country — are behind the Pro gate. Everything on this page is not.