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Average BMI in Belize

Men in Belize have an average BMI of 27.6, women 30.8. Both means fall in the WHO overweight band for men and obese for women. That puts Belize 11th of 186 countries in our data, ranked from highest BMI to lowest.

Key numbers

Men
27.6
Overweight
Women
30.8
Obese
SD, men / women
5.5 / 6.2
global SD
vs global mean
+3.1
women +6.0
Rank
11 of 186
1 = highest BMI
Est. obese
33% / 55%
men / women, BMI 30+

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Estimated share in each WHO category

Estimated from mean and SD with a normal curve, not surveyed shares
CategoryBMIMenWomen
Underweightunder 18.55%2%
Healthy weight18.5 to 2527%15%
Overweight25 to 3035%27%
Obese30 and over33%55%

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.

Belize among its neighbours

Ranking neighbours (three above and below) plus every Americas country in our data
#CountryMenWomenBothRegion
4Saint Lucia29.830.630.2Americas
8French Polynesia29.729.629.6Oceania
9Qatar28.930.429.6Asia
10Jordan28.530.129.3Asia
11Belize27.630.829.2Americas
12Palestine28.330.029.1Asia
13United States29.029.129.1Americas
14Iraq28.029.928.9Asia
17Puerto Rico28.528.728.6Americas
20Bahamas27.329.128.2Americas
22Chile28.028.328.1Americas
23Mexico27.628.628.1Americas
25Barbados26.529.427.9Americas
26Jamaica26.029.927.9Americas
27Argentina28.027.827.9Americas
30Trinidad and Tobago26.828.927.9Americas
32El Salvador27.028.527.8Americas
35Uruguay27.527.627.6Americas
37Costa Rica26.928.127.5Americas
38Ecuador26.828.127.5Americas
40Nicaragua26.728.127.4Americas
41Saint Vincent and the Grenadines26.428.427.4Americas
51Canada27.526.827.1Americas
52Grenada25.329.027.1Americas
55Panama26.327.827.1Americas
57Honduras26.027.926.9Americas
61Paraguay26.727.126.9Americas
66Peru26.427.326.9Americas
67Venezuela26.726.926.8Americas
68Brazil26.527.026.8Americas
76Suriname25.527.926.7Americas
77Bolivia25.427.926.6Americas
78Dominican Republic25.727.626.6Americas
79Guatemala25.827.526.6Americas
82Guyana25.228.026.6Americas
92Colombia26.026.826.4Americas
107Cuba25.426.225.8Americas
115Haiti26.624.325.5Americas

What a given BMI means in Belize

Share of adults with a lower BMI than each value, estimated from mean and SD
BMIWHO bandLower, menLower, women
20.0Healthy weight8%4%
22.5Healthy weight18%9%
25.0Overweight32%17%
27.5Overweight49%30%
30.0Obese67%45%
32.5Obese81%61%
35.0Obese91%75%

Read it as: a man with BMI 30 in Belize has a higher BMI than 67% of men. Values under 1% or over 99% are shown as <1 and >99.

In plain language

The standard deviation for men in Belize is 5.5. About two thirds of men have a BMI between 22.1 and 33.1; for women the middle two thirds run from 24.6 to 37.0. Compared with the global mean, men here are 3.1 points higher and women 6.0 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 Belize?
27.6 for men and 30.8 for women, with standard deviations of 5.5 and 6.2. Averaged across the sexes that is 29.2, against a global figure of 24.6.
What share of adults in Belize are overweight or obese?
Our estimate from the mean and SD: 68% of men have a BMI of 25 or more, and 33% are at 30 or more. For women it is 83% and 55%. These assume a normal curve, so the true obesity shares are likely a few points higher.
Is a BMI of 25 high in Belize?
A BMI of 25 is the WHO line between healthy weight and overweight. In Belize it is higher than about 32% of men and 17% of women. So for men here it is below the middle of the pack.
How does Belize compare with Jordan?
Men in Jordan average 28.5 against 27.6 in Belize; women 30.1 against 30.8. Jordan ranks 10th, Belize 11th.

NCD-RisC does not publish standard deviations. SD for countries added in 2026-10 uses the global SD. Belize is one of them, so the SD, the category shares and the percentiles above use the global spread rather than one measured here.

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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