What is the average BMI in United Kingdom?

27.5 for men and 27.2 for women, with standard deviations of 5.2 and 6.1. Averaged across the sexes that is 27.4, against a global figure of 24.6.

What share of adults in United Kingdom 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 64% and 32%. These assume a normal curve, so the true obesity shares are likely a few points higher.

Is a BMI of 25 high in United Kingdom?

A BMI of 25 is the WHO line between healthy weight and overweight. In United Kingdom it is higher than about 32% of men and 36% of women. So for men here it is below the middle of the pack.

How does United Kingdom compare with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?

Men in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines average 26.4 against 27.5 in United Kingdom; women 28.4 against 27.2. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ranks 41st, United Kingdom 42nd.

Average BMI in United Kingdom

Men in United Kingdom have an average BMI of 27.5, women 27.2. Both means fall in the WHO overweight band for men and overweight for women. That puts United Kingdom 42nd of 186 countries in our data, ranked from highest BMI to lowest.

Key numbers

Men

27.5

Overweight

Women

27.2

Overweight

SD, men / women

5.2 / 6.1

vs global mean

+3.0

women +2.4

Rank

42 of 186

1 = highest BMI

Est. obese

32% / 32%

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%	8%
Healthy weight	18.5 to 25	27%	28%
Overweight	25 to 30	37%	32%
Obese	30 and over	32%	32%

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.

United Kingdom among its neighbours

Ranking neighbours (three above and below) plus every Europe country in our data
#	Country	Men	Women	Both	Region
24	Turkey	27.3	28.9	28.1	Europe
33	Ireland	28.1	27.2	27.6	Europe
34	Croatia	28.2	27.0	27.6	Europe
36	Hungary	28.4	26.7	27.5	Europe
39	Israel	27.8	27.1	27.5	Asia
40	Nicaragua	26.7	28.1	27.4	Americas
41	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	26.4	28.4	27.4	Americas
42	United Kingdom	27.5	27.2	27.4	Europe
43	South Africa	25.1	29.6	27.4	Africa
44	Brunei	27.3	27.3	27.3	Asia
45	Malta	28.0	26.6	27.3	Europe
47	Czechia	28.2	26.4	27.3	Europe
48	Greece	27.7	26.9	27.3	Europe
49	Moldova	26.8	27.6	27.2	Europe
53	Romania	27.3	27.0	27.1	Europe
56	Cyprus	27.7	26.2	26.9	Europe
58	North Macedonia	27.5	26.4	26.9	Europe
60	Poland	27.6	26.2	26.9	Europe
63	Albania	27.2	26.5	26.9	Europe
64	Latvia	27.2	26.5	26.9	Europe
65	Norway	27.4	26.3	26.9	Europe
69	Belarus	26.6	26.9	26.8	Europe
70	Germany	27.5	26.0	26.8	Europe
72	Montenegro	27.2	26.3	26.8	Europe
73	Slovenia	26.8	26.7	26.8	Europe
75	Ukraine	27.1	26.4	26.8	Europe
80	Lithuania	27.2	26.1	26.6	Europe
81	Bulgaria	27.3	25.9	26.6	Europe
84	Slovakia	27.5	25.7	26.6	Europe
85	Estonia	27.1	26.0	26.6	Europe
86	Luxembourg	27.2	25.8	26.5	Europe
93	Iceland	27.2	25.6	26.4	Europe
95	Russia	26.0	26.7	26.4	Europe
97	Belgium	26.8	25.7	26.3	Europe
98	Serbia	26.8	25.7	26.3	Europe
100	Sweden	26.9	25.5	26.2	Europe
102	Finland	26.5	25.7	26.1	Europe
103	Spain	27.2	24.9	26.0	Europe
104	Bosnia and Herzegovina	26.5	25.3	25.9	Europe
106	Portugal	26.3	25.3	25.8	Europe
109	Italy	26.6	24.9	25.8	Europe
111	Netherlands	26.1	25.3	25.7	Europe
112	Austria	26.7	24.7	25.7	Europe
114	Denmark	26.3	24.6	25.5	Europe
118	Switzerland	26.8	23.8	25.3	Europe
119	France	26.1	24.3	25.2	Europe

What a given BMI means in United Kingdom

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%	12%
22.5	Healthy weight	17%	22%
25.0	Overweight	32%	36%
27.5	Overweight	50%	52%
30.0	Obese	68%	68%
32.5	Obese	83%	81%
35.0	Obese	93%	90%

Read it as: a man with BMI 30 in United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom is 5.2. About two thirds of men have a BMI between 22.3 and 32.7; for women the middle two thirds run from 21.1 to 33.3. Compared with the global mean, men here are 3.0 points higher and women 2.4 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 United Kingdom?: 27.5 for men and 27.2 for women, with standard deviations of 5.2 and 6.1. Averaged across the sexes that is 27.4, against a global figure of 24.6.
What share of adults in United Kingdom 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 64% and 32%. These assume a normal curve, so the true obesity shares are likely a few points higher.
Is a BMI of 25 high in United Kingdom?: A BMI of 25 is the WHO line between healthy weight and overweight. In United Kingdom it is higher than about 32% of men and 36% of women. So for men here it is below the middle of the pack.
How does United Kingdom compare with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?: Men in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines average 26.4 against 27.5 in United Kingdom; women 28.4 against 27.2. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ranks 41st, United Kingdom 42nd.

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 United Kingdom