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Average BMI in Mauritius

Men in Mauritius have an average BMI of 24.7, women 26.1. Both means fall in the WHO healthy weight band for men and overweight for women. That puts Mauritius 117th of 186 countries in our data, ranked from highest BMI to lowest.

Key numbers

Men
24.7
Healthy weight
Women
26.1
Overweight
SD, men / women
5.5 / 6.2
global SD
vs global mean
+0.2
women +1.3
Rank
117 of 186
1 = highest BMI
Est. obese
17% / 26%
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 18.513%11%
Healthy weight18.5 to 2539%32%
Overweight25 to 3031%31%
Obese30 and over17%26%

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.

Mauritius among its neighbours

Ranking neighbours (three above and below) plus every Africa country in our data
#CountryMenWomenBothRegion
7Egypt27.931.729.8Africa
19Libya27.129.628.4Africa
43South Africa25.129.627.4Africa
59Seychelles25.728.226.9Africa
62Eswatini24.629.226.9Africa
88Tunisia25.727.326.5Africa
101Morocco25.626.726.1Africa
108Algeria24.926.625.8Africa
114Denmark26.324.625.5Europe
115Haiti26.624.325.5Americas
116Gabon24.126.725.4Africa
117Mauritius24.726.125.4Africa
118Switzerland26.823.825.3Europe
119France26.124.325.2Europe
120Mauritania23.426.825.1Africa
121Lesotho22.827.125.0Africa
122Sao Tome and Principe24.025.824.9Africa
124Sudan23.326.124.7Africa
125Cabo Verde23.825.424.6Africa
126Comoros23.425.824.6Africa
128Botswana22.626.324.5Africa
130Cameroon23.725.224.4Africa
131Namibia23.125.524.3Africa
134Equatorial Guinea22.426.024.2Africa
135Liberia23.225.224.2Africa
136Djibouti23.524.824.1Africa
137Gambia23.624.724.1Africa
140Ghana22.625.424.0Africa
143Cรดte d'Ivoire23.524.223.9Africa
145Zimbabwe22.325.423.9Africa
147Benin22.724.623.6Africa
148Togo22.624.623.6Africa
149Guinea-Bissau22.924.223.5Africa
151Angola22.424.423.4Africa
152Kenya22.224.623.4Africa
153Nigeria22.624.023.3Africa
154Republic of the Congo22.424.223.3Africa
155Tanzania22.424.223.3Africa
158Somalia22.524.023.3Africa
160Mali23.023.223.1Africa
161Guinea22.523.523.0Africa
163Senegal21.924.123.0Africa
164Central African Republic22.123.823.0Africa
165Malawi22.623.323.0Africa
166Mozambique22.123.522.8Africa
169Sierra Leone21.923.622.8Africa
170Zambia21.423.822.6Africa
172Uganda21.623.322.5Africa
174Burkina Faso22.322.122.2Africa
175Rwanda21.322.822.1Africa
176Chad22.122.022.1Africa
177DR Congo21.422.722.0Africa
178Niger21.522.421.9Africa
182Burundi21.921.621.8Africa
184Madagascar21.621.121.4Africa
185Eritrea20.321.220.8Africa
186Ethiopia20.121.120.6Africa

What a given BMI means in Mauritius

Share of adults with a lower BMI than each value, estimated from mean and SD
BMIWHO bandLower, menLower, women
20.0Healthy weight20%16%
22.5Healthy weight34%28%
25.0Overweight52%43%
27.5Overweight69%59%
30.0Obese83%74%
32.5Obese92%85%
35.0Obese97%92%

Read it as: a man with BMI 30 in Mauritius has a higher BMI than 83% of men. Values under 1% or over 99% are shown as <1 and >99.

In plain language

The standard deviation for men in Mauritius is 5.5. About two thirds of men have a BMI between 19.2 and 30.2; for women the middle two thirds run from 19.9 to 32.3. Compared with the global mean, men here are 0.2 points higher and women 1.3 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 Mauritius?
24.7 for men and 26.1 for women, with standard deviations of 5.5 and 6.2. Averaged across the sexes that is 25.4, against a global figure of 24.6.
What share of adults in Mauritius are overweight or obese?
Our estimate from the mean and SD: 48% of men have a BMI of 25 or more, and 17% are at 30 or more. For women it is 57% and 26%. These assume a normal curve, so the true obesity shares are likely a few points higher.
Is a BMI of 25 high in Mauritius?
A BMI of 25 is the WHO line between healthy weight and overweight. In Mauritius it is higher than about 52% of men and 43% of women. For men here that is roughly the median.
How does Mauritius compare with Gabon?
Men in Gabon average 24.1 against 24.7 in Mauritius; women 26.7 against 26.1. Gabon ranks 116th, Mauritius 117th.

NCD-RisC does not publish standard deviations. SD for countries added in 2026-10 uses the global SD. Mauritius 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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