Mean BMI (kg/m²) in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Mean BMI (kg/m²) was 27.3 in 2016. ▲ Rising

Latest (2016)
27.3
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
40th
of 189 countries
All-time high
27.3
in 2015
All-time low
22.5
in 1975
Years of data
42
1975–2016

Mean BMI (kg/m²) in Costa Rica, 1975–2016

01020301975199520161975: 22.51976: 22.61977: 22.81978: 22.91979: 231980: 23.11981: 23.31982: 23.41983: 23.51984: 23.61985: 23.81986: 23.91987: 241988: 24.21989: 24.31990: 24.41991: 24.61992: 24.71993: 24.91994: 251995: 25.11996: 25.31997: 25.41998: 25.51999: 25.62000: 25.82001: 25.92002: 262003: 26.12004: 26.22005: 26.32006: 26.42007: 26.52008: 26.62009: 26.72010: 26.82011: 26.92012: 272013: 27.12014: 27.22015: 27.32016: 27.3

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

The most recent figure for mean bmi (kg/m²) in Costa Rica is 27.3, measured in 2016. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.

The figure is up 3.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, mean bmi (kg/m²) in Costa Rica peaked at 27.3 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 22.5, in 1975.

That places Costa Rica 40th out of 189 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.

Mean BMI (kg/m²) in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Mean BMI (kg/m²) (age-standardized estimate) in Costa Rica, 1975 to 2016.
Year Value Change
1975 22.5
1976 22.6 +0.4%
1977 22.8 +0.9%
1978 22.9 +0.4%
1979 23 +0.4%
1980 23.1 +0.4%
1981 23.3 +0.9%
1982 23.4 +0.4%
1983 23.5 +0.4%
1984 23.6 +0.4%
1985 23.8 +0.8%
1986 23.9 +0.4%
1987 24 +0.4%
1988 24.2 +0.8%
1989 24.3 +0.4%
1990 24.4 +0.4%
1991 24.6 +0.8%
1992 24.7 +0.4%
1993 24.9 +0.8%
1994 25 +0.4%
1995 25.1 +0.4%
1996 25.3 +0.8%
1997 25.4 +0.4%
1998 25.5 +0.4%
1999 25.6 +0.4%
2000 25.8 +0.8%
2001 25.9 +0.4%
2002 26 +0.4%
2003 26.1 +0.4%
2004 26.2 +0.4%
2005 26.3 +0.4%
2006 26.4 +0.4%
2007 26.5 +0.4%
2008 26.6 +0.4%
2009 26.7 +0.4%
2010 26.8 +0.4%
2011 26.9 +0.4%
2012 27 +0.4%
2013 27.1 +0.4%
2014 27.2 +0.4%
2015 27.3 +0.4%
2016 27.3 +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 22.76 22.5 23 5
1980s 23.71 23.1 24.3 10
1990s 25.05 24.4 25.6 10
2000s 26.25 25.8 26.7 10
2010s 27.09 26.8 27.3 7

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 37 Ireland 27.5 compare
  2. 38 Croatia 27.4 compare
  3. 38 Uruguay 27.4 compare
  4. 40 Hungary 27.3 compare
  5. 40 Israel 27.3 compare
  6. 40 South Africa 27.3 compare
  7. 40 Ecuador 27.3 compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More health data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is mean bmi (kg/m²) in Costa Rica?
Mean bmi (kg/m²) in Costa Rica was 27.3 in 2016, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest mean bmi (kg/m²) recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 27.3 in 2015.
What is the lowest mean bmi (kg/m²) recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 22.5 in 1975.
How does Costa Rica rank for mean bmi (kg/m²)?
Costa Rica ranks 40th out of 189 countries with data for 2016.
Is mean bmi (kg/m²) rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Costa Rica 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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Mean BMI (kg/m²) in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/mean-bmi-kg-m2-age-standardized-estimate/costa-rica/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/mean-bmi-kg-m2-age-standardized-estimate/costa-rica/">Mean BMI (kg/m²) in Costa Rica</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Mean BMI (kg/m²) (age-standardized estimate)
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
202 places, 8,484 data points, 1975–2016
Last refreshed