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Average BMI in Hungary

Men in Hungary have an average BMI of 28.4, women 26.7. Both means fall in the WHO overweight band for men and overweight for women. That puts Hungary 36th of 186 countries in our data, ranked from highest BMI to lowest.

Key numbers

Men
28.4
Overweight
Women
26.7
Overweight
SD, men / women
5.5 / 6.2
global SD
vs global mean
+3.9
women +1.9
Rank
36 of 186
1 = highest BMI
Est. obese
39% / 30%
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 18.54%9%
Healthy weight18.5 to 2523%30%
Overweight25 to 3035%31%
Obese30 and over39%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.

Hungary among its neighbours

Ranking neighbours (three above and below) plus every Europe country in our data
#CountryMenWomenBothRegion
24Turkey27.328.928.1Europe
33Ireland28.127.227.6Europe
34Croatia28.227.027.6Europe
35Uruguay27.527.627.6Americas
36Hungary28.426.727.5Europe
37Costa Rica26.928.127.5Americas
38Ecuador26.828.127.5Americas
39Israel27.827.127.5Asia
42United Kingdom27.527.227.4Europe
45Malta28.026.627.3Europe
47Czechia28.226.427.3Europe
48Greece27.726.927.3Europe
49Moldova26.827.627.2Europe
53Romania27.327.027.1Europe
56Cyprus27.726.226.9Europe
58North Macedonia27.526.426.9Europe
60Poland27.626.226.9Europe
63Albania27.226.526.9Europe
64Latvia27.226.526.9Europe
65Norway27.426.326.9Europe
69Belarus26.626.926.8Europe
70Germany27.526.026.8Europe
72Montenegro27.226.326.8Europe
73Slovenia26.826.726.8Europe
75Ukraine27.126.426.8Europe
80Lithuania27.226.126.6Europe
81Bulgaria27.325.926.6Europe
84Slovakia27.525.726.6Europe
85Estonia27.126.026.6Europe
86Luxembourg27.225.826.5Europe
93Iceland27.225.626.4Europe
95Russia26.026.726.4Europe
97Belgium26.825.726.3Europe
98Serbia26.825.726.3Europe
100Sweden26.925.526.2Europe
102Finland26.525.726.1Europe
103Spain27.224.926.0Europe
104Bosnia and Herzegovina26.525.325.9Europe
106Portugal26.325.325.8Europe
109Italy26.624.925.8Europe
111Netherlands26.125.325.7Europe
112Austria26.724.725.7Europe
114Denmark26.324.625.5Europe
118Switzerland26.823.825.3Europe
119France26.124.325.2Europe

What a given BMI means in Hungary

Share of adults with a lower BMI than each value, estimated from mean and SD
BMIWHO bandLower, menLower, women
20.0Healthy weight6%14%
22.5Healthy weight14%25%
25.0Overweight27%39%
27.5Overweight44%55%
30.0Obese61%70%
32.5Obese77%83%
35.0Obese88%91%

Read it as: a man with BMI 30 in Hungary has a higher BMI than 61% of men. Values under 1% or over 99% are shown as <1 and >99.

In plain language

The standard deviation for men in Hungary is 5.5. About two thirds of men have a BMI between 22.9 and 33.9; for women the middle two thirds run from 20.5 to 32.9. Compared with the global mean, men here are 3.9 points higher and women 1.9 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 Hungary?
28.4 for men and 26.7 for women, with standard deviations of 5.5 and 6.2. Averaged across the sexes that is 27.5, against a global figure of 24.6.
What share of adults in Hungary are overweight or obese?
Our estimate from the mean and SD: 73% of men have a BMI of 25 or more, and 39% 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 Hungary?
A BMI of 25 is the WHO line between healthy weight and overweight. In Hungary it is higher than about 27% of men and 39% of women. So for men here it is below the middle of the pack.
How does Hungary compare with Uruguay?
Men in Uruguay average 27.5 against 28.4 in Hungary; women 27.6 against 26.7. Uruguay ranks 35th, Hungary 36th.

NCD-RisC does not publish standard deviations. SD for countries added in 2026-10 uses the global SD. Hungary 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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Also by country: Average height by country and Life expectancy by country.