Costa Rica vs Nicaragua: Mean body mass index (BMI) in women
Costa Rica
27.9
in 2016
Nicaragua
27.9
in 2016
Costa Rica rank
39th
Nicaragua rank
39th
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women over time
- Costa Rica
- Nicaragua
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 27.9 against 27.9 in Nicaragua, a difference of 0.
Across all 42 years both countries report, Nicaragua has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 39th and Nicaragua ranks 39th of 190 countries.
Nicaragua has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Nicaragua | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 22.48 | 23.08 | 0.6 | Nicaragua |
| 1980s | 23.6 | 24.15 | 0.55 | Nicaragua |
| 1990s | 25.21 | 25.56 | 0.35 | Nicaragua |
| 2000s | 26.65 | 26.75 | 0.1 | Nicaragua |
| 2010s | 27.6 | 27.6 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher mean body mass index (bmi) in women, Costa Rica or Nicaragua?
- Costa Rica, at 27.9 against 27.9 in Nicaragua as of 2016.
- What is the difference in mean body mass index (bmi) in women between Costa Rica and Nicaragua?
- 0, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Nicaragua?
- 42 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2016.
- How do Costa Rica and Nicaragua rank globally for mean body mass index (bmi) in women?
- Costa Rica ranks 39th and Nicaragua ranks 39th of 190 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Mean body mass index (BMI) in women. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Body mass index (BMI) is measured as a person's weight in kilograms (kg) divided by her height (in meters), squared. The WHO define a BMI <=18.5 as 'underweight'; 18.5 to <25 as 'normal/healthy'; 25.0 to <30 as 'overweight'; and >30.0 as 'obese'.