Mean BMI (kg/m²) in Africa (WHO region)
Africa (WHO region): Mean BMI (kg/m²) was 23.2 in 2016. ▲ Rising
Latest (2016)
23.2
Change on year
unchanged
Rank
9th
of 12 groups
All-time high
23.2
in 2015
All-time low
19.7
in 1975
Years of data
42
1975–2016
Mean BMI (kg/m²) in Africa (WHO region), 1975–2016
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
Africa (WHO region) recorded 23.2 for mean bmi (kg/m²) in 2016. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mean bmi (kg/m²) in Africa (WHO region) peaked at 23.2 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 19.7, in 1975.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Mean BMI (kg/m²) in Africa (WHO region), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 19.7 | — |
| 1976 | 19.8 | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 19.9 | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 20.1 | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 20.2 | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 20.3 | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 20.4 | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 20.5 | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 20.6 | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 20.7 | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 20.8 | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 20.9 | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 21 | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 21.1 | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 21.2 | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 21.3 | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 21.4 | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 21.5 | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 21.6 | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 21.7 | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 21.8 | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 21.9 | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 21.9 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 22 | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 22.1 | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 22.2 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 22.3 | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 22.4 | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 22.4 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 22.5 | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 22.6 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 22.7 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 22.7 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 22.8 | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 22.9 | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 22.9 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 23 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 23 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 23.1 | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 23.1 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 23.2 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 23.2 | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 19.94 | 19.7 | 20.2 | 5 |
| 1980s | 20.75 | 20.3 | 21.2 | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.72 | 21.3 | 22.1 | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.55 | 22.2 | 22.9 | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.07 | 22.9 | 23.2 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Africa (WHO region)
- 6 Tuvalu 30.8 compare
- 7 Kiribati 30.1 compare
- 8 Saint Lucia 30 compare
- 9 Micronesia (country) 29.7 compare
- 10 Kuwait 29.6 compare
- 10 Egypt 29.6 compare
- 10 Marshall Islands 29.6 compare
More health data for Africa (WHO region)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 179,400 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 20,261 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 20,578 (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, gaps filled 12,202 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, annual growth rate -8.02 % change on previous year (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, annual growth rate 160.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, annual growth rate 23.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases 20,261 (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases 12,202 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases 20,578 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mean bmi (kg/m²) in Africa (WHO region)?
- Mean bmi (kg/m²) in Africa (WHO region) was 23.2 in 2016, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest mean bmi (kg/m²) recorded in Africa (WHO region)?
- The highest recorded value was 23.2 in 2015.
- What is the lowest mean bmi (kg/m²) recorded in Africa (WHO region)?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.7 in 1975.
- How does Africa (WHO region) rank for mean bmi (kg/m²)?
- Africa (WHO region) ranks 9th out of 12 groups with data for 2016.
- Is mean bmi (kg/m²) rising or falling in Africa (WHO region)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa (WHO region) data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Mean BMI (kg/m²) (age-standardized estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).