What is the average BMI in Argentina?

28.0 for men and 27.8 for women, with standard deviations of 5.3 and 6.4. Averaged across the sexes that is 27.9, against a global figure of 24.6.

What share of adults in Argentina are overweight or obese?

Our estimate from the mean and SD: 71% of men have a BMI of 25 or more, and 35% are at 30 or more. For women it is 67% and 37%. These assume a normal curve, so the true obesity shares are likely a few points higher.

Is a BMI of 25 high in Argentina?

A BMI of 25 is the WHO line between healthy weight and overweight. In Argentina it is higher than about 29% of men and 33% of women. So for men here it is below the middle of the pack.

How does Argentina compare with Jamaica?

Men in Jamaica average 26.0 against 28.0 in Argentina; women 29.9 against 27.8. Jamaica ranks 26th, Argentina 27th.

Average BMI in Argentina

Men in Argentina have an average BMI of 28.0, women 27.8. Both means fall in the WHO overweight band for men and overweight for women. That puts Argentina 27th of 186 countries in our data, ranked from highest BMI to lowest.

Key numbers

Men

28.0

Overweight

Women

27.8

Overweight

SD, men / women

5.3 / 6.4

vs global mean

+3.5

women +3.0

Rank

27 of 186

1 = highest BMI

Est. obese

35% / 37%

men / women, BMI 30+

Estimated share in each WHO category

Estimated from mean and SD with a normal curve, not surveyed shares
Category	BMI	Men	Women
Underweight	under 18.5	4%	7%
Healthy weight	18.5 to 25	25%	26%
Overweight	25 to 30	36%	30%
Obese	30 and over	35%	37%

Columns may not sum to 100 because of rounding. Real BMI distributions have a longer right tail than a normal curve, so the obese share here is probably a few points low.

Argentina among its neighbours

Ranking neighbours (three above and below) plus every Americas country in our data
#	Country	Men	Women	Both	Region
4	Saint Lucia	29.8	30.6	30.2	Americas
11	Belize	27.6	30.8	29.2	Americas
13	United States	29.0	29.1	29.1	Americas
17	Puerto Rico	28.5	28.7	28.6	Americas
20	Bahamas	27.3	29.1	28.2	Americas
22	Chile	28.0	28.3	28.1	Americas
23	Mexico	27.6	28.6	28.1	Americas
24	Turkey	27.3	28.9	28.1	Europe
25	Barbados	26.5	29.4	27.9	Americas
26	Jamaica	26.0	29.9	27.9	Americas
27	Argentina	28.0	27.8	27.9	Americas
28	Fiji	26.8	29.0	27.9	Oceania
29	Lebanon	28.1	27.6	27.9	Asia
30	Trinidad and Tobago	26.8	28.9	27.9	Americas
32	El Salvador	27.0	28.5	27.8	Americas
35	Uruguay	27.5	27.6	27.6	Americas
37	Costa Rica	26.9	28.1	27.5	Americas
38	Ecuador	26.8	28.1	27.5	Americas
40	Nicaragua	26.7	28.1	27.4	Americas
41	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	26.4	28.4	27.4	Americas
51	Canada	27.5	26.8	27.1	Americas
52	Grenada	25.3	29.0	27.1	Americas
55	Panama	26.3	27.8	27.1	Americas
57	Honduras	26.0	27.9	26.9	Americas
61	Paraguay	26.7	27.1	26.9	Americas
66	Peru	26.4	27.3	26.9	Americas
67	Venezuela	26.7	26.9	26.8	Americas
68	Brazil	26.5	27.0	26.8	Americas
76	Suriname	25.5	27.9	26.7	Americas
77	Bolivia	25.4	27.9	26.6	Americas
78	Dominican Republic	25.7	27.6	26.6	Americas
79	Guatemala	25.8	27.5	26.6	Americas
82	Guyana	25.2	28.0	26.6	Americas
92	Colombia	26.0	26.8	26.4	Americas
107	Cuba	25.4	26.2	25.8	Americas
115	Haiti	26.6	24.3	25.5	Americas

What a given BMI means in Argentina

Share of adults with a lower BMI than each value, estimated from mean and SD
BMI	WHO band	Lower, men	Lower, women
20.0	Healthy weight	7%	11%
22.5	Healthy weight	15%	20%
25.0	Overweight	29%	33%
27.5	Overweight	46%	48%
30.0	Obese	65%	63%
32.5	Obese	80%	77%
35.0	Obese	91%	87%

Read it as: a man with BMI 30 in Argentina has a higher BMI than 65% of men. Values under 1% or over 99% are shown as <1 and >99.

In plain language

The standard deviation for men in Argentina is 5.3. About two thirds of men have a BMI between 22.7 and 33.3; for women the middle two thirds run from 21.4 to 34.2. Compared with the global mean, men here are 3.5 points higher and women 3.0 points higher.

BMI does not distinguish muscle from fat, and the WHO bands were set on European populations. For South and East Asian populations the same BMI carries more health risk, which is why several countries there use 23 and 27.5 as their own cut-offs.

Questions

What is the average BMI in Argentina?: 28.0 for men and 27.8 for women, with standard deviations of 5.3 and 6.4. Averaged across the sexes that is 27.9, against a global figure of 24.6.
What share of adults in Argentina are overweight or obese?: Our estimate from the mean and SD: 71% of men have a BMI of 25 or more, and 35% are at 30 or more. For women it is 67% and 37%. These assume a normal curve, so the true obesity shares are likely a few points higher.
Is a BMI of 25 high in Argentina?: A BMI of 25 is the WHO line between healthy weight and overweight. In Argentina it is higher than about 29% of men and 33% of women. So for men here it is below the middle of the pack.
How does Argentina compare with Jamaica?: Men in Jamaica average 26.0 against 28.0 in Argentina; women 29.9 against 27.8. Jamaica ranks 26th, Argentina 27th.

Source: NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, Lancet 2017, age-standardised mean BMI for 2016. Percentiles on this page are our estimate from a normal distribution with the stated mean and SD.

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🇦🇷Average BMI in Argentina