Mean BMI (kg/m²) in New Zealand

New Zealand: Mean BMI (kg/m²) was 28 in 2016. ▲ Rising

Latest (2016)
28
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
24th
of 189 countries
All-time high
28
in 2015
All-time low
24
in 1975
Years of data
42
1975–2016

Mean BMI (kg/m²) in New Zealand, 1975–2016

01020301975199520161975: 241976: 24.11977: 24.21978: 24.31979: 24.41980: 24.51981: 24.51982: 24.61983: 24.71984: 24.81985: 24.91986: 251987: 25.11988: 25.21989: 25.31990: 25.41991: 25.61992: 25.71993: 25.81994: 25.91995: 261996: 26.21997: 26.31998: 26.41999: 26.52000: 26.72001: 26.82002: 26.92003: 272004: 27.12005: 27.22006: 27.32007: 27.42008: 27.52009: 27.62010: 27.62011: 27.72012: 27.82013: 27.82014: 27.92015: 282016: 28

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

In 2016, mean bmi (kg/m²) in New Zealand stood at 28. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, mean bmi (kg/m²) in New Zealand peaked at 28 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 24, in 1975.

New Zealand ranks 24th of 189 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Mean BMI (kg/m²) in New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Mean BMI (kg/m²) (age-standardized estimate) in New Zealand, 1975 to 2016.
Year Value Change
1975 24
1976 24.1 +0.4%
1977 24.2 +0.4%
1978 24.3 +0.4%
1979 24.4 +0.4%
1980 24.5 +0.4%
1981 24.5 +0.0%
1982 24.6 +0.4%
1983 24.7 +0.4%
1984 24.8 +0.4%
1985 24.9 +0.4%
1986 25 +0.4%
1987 25.1 +0.4%
1988 25.2 +0.4%
1989 25.3 +0.4%
1990 25.4 +0.4%
1991 25.6 +0.8%
1992 25.7 +0.4%
1993 25.8 +0.4%
1994 25.9 +0.4%
1995 26 +0.4%
1996 26.2 +0.8%
1997 26.3 +0.4%
1998 26.4 +0.4%
1999 26.5 +0.4%
2000 26.7 +0.8%
2001 26.8 +0.4%
2002 26.9 +0.4%
2003 27 +0.4%
2004 27.1 +0.4%
2005 27.2 +0.4%
2006 27.3 +0.4%
2007 27.4 +0.4%
2008 27.5 +0.4%
2009 27.6 +0.4%
2010 27.6 +0.0%
2011 27.7 +0.4%
2012 27.8 +0.4%
2013 27.8 +0.0%
2014 27.9 +0.4%
2015 28 +0.4%
2016 28 +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 24.2 24 24.4 5
1980s 24.86 24.5 25.3 10
1990s 25.98 25.4 26.5 10
2000s 27.15 26.7 27.6 10
2010s 27.83 27.6 28 7

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 21 United Arab Emirates 28.4 compare
  2. 22 Syria 28.3 compare
  3. 23 Libya 28.1 compare
  4. 24 Mexico 28 compare
  5. 24 Chile 28 compare
  6. 24 Bahamas 28 compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More health data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is mean bmi (kg/m²) in New Zealand?
Mean bmi (kg/m²) in New Zealand was 28 in 2016, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest mean bmi (kg/m²) recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 28 in 2015.
What is the lowest mean bmi (kg/m²) recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 24 in 1975.
How does New Zealand rank for mean bmi (kg/m²)?
New Zealand ranks 24th out of 189 countries with data for 2016.
Is mean bmi (kg/m²) rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this New Zealand 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 New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/mean-bmi-kg-m2-age-standardized-estimate/new-zealand/

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/new-zealand/">Mean BMI (kg/m²) in New Zealand</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