What is the average BMI in Canada?

27.5 for men and 26.8 for women, with standard deviations of 5.4 and 6.2. Averaged across the sexes that is 27.1, against a global figure of 24.6.

What share of adults in Canada are overweight or obese?

Our estimate from the mean and SD: 68% of men have a BMI of 25 or more, and 32% are at 30 or more. For women it is 61% and 30%. These assume a normal curve, so the true obesity shares are likely a few points higher.

Is a BMI of 25 high in Canada?

A BMI of 25 is the WHO line between healthy weight and overweight. In Canada it is higher than about 32% of men and 39% of women. So for men here it is below the middle of the pack.

How does Canada compare with Azerbaijan?

Men in Azerbaijan average 26.2 against 27.5 in Canada; women 28.2 against 26.8. Azerbaijan ranks 50th, Canada 51st.

Average BMI in Canada

Men in Canada have an average BMI of 27.5, women 26.8. Both means fall in the WHO overweight band for men and overweight for women. That puts Canada 51st of 186 countries in our data, ranked from highest BMI to lowest.

Key numbers

Men

27.5

Overweight

Women

26.8

Overweight

SD, men / women

5.4 / 6.2

vs global mean

+3.0

women +2.0

Rank

51 of 186

1 = highest BMI

Est. obese

32% / 30%

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	5%	9%
Healthy weight	18.5 to 25	27%	30%
Overweight	25 to 30	36%	31%
Obese	30 and over	32%	30%

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.

Canada 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
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
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
48	Greece	27.7	26.9	27.3	Europe
49	Moldova	26.8	27.6	27.2	Europe
50	Azerbaijan	26.2	28.2	27.2	Asia
51	Canada	27.5	26.8	27.1	Americas
52	Grenada	25.3	29.0	27.1	Americas
53	Romania	27.3	27.0	27.1	Europe
54	Uzbekistan	26.5	27.7	27.1	Asia
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 Canada

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	8%	14%
22.5	Healthy weight	18%	24%
25.0	Overweight	32%	39%
27.5	Overweight	50%	54%
30.0	Obese	68%	70%
32.5	Obese	82%	82%
35.0	Obese	92%	91%

Read it as: a man with BMI 30 in Canada has a higher BMI than 68% of men. Values under 1% or over 99% are shown as <1 and >99.

In plain language

The standard deviation for men in Canada is 5.4. About two thirds of men have a BMI between 22.1 and 32.9; for women the middle two thirds run from 20.6 to 33.0. Compared with the global mean, men here are 3.0 points higher and women 2.0 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 Canada?: 27.5 for men and 26.8 for women, with standard deviations of 5.4 and 6.2. Averaged across the sexes that is 27.1, against a global figure of 24.6.
What share of adults in Canada are overweight or obese?: Our estimate from the mean and SD: 68% of men have a BMI of 25 or more, and 32% are at 30 or more. For women it is 61% and 30%. These assume a normal curve, so the true obesity shares are likely a few points higher.
Is a BMI of 25 high in Canada?: A BMI of 25 is the WHO line between healthy weight and overweight. In Canada it is higher than about 32% of men and 39% of women. So for men here it is below the middle of the pack.
How does Canada compare with Azerbaijan?: Men in Azerbaijan average 26.2 against 27.5 in Canada; women 28.2 against 26.8. Azerbaijan ranks 50th, Canada 51st.

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 Canada