India vs Japan: Mean body mass index (BMI) in women
India
21.9
in 2016
Japan
21.8
in 2016
India rank
182nd
Japan rank
185th
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women over time
- India
- Japan
How they compare
India currently reports 21.9 against 21.8 in Japan, a difference of 0.1.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 42 shared years of data; in 1975 it was Japan ahead.
India ranks 182nd and Japan ranks 185th of 190 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 18.76 | 22.1 | 3.34 | Japan |
| 1980s | 19.45 | 22.1 | 2.65 | Japan |
| 1990s | 20.27 | 22 | 1.73 | Japan |
| 2000s | 21.05 | 21.91 | 0.86 | Japan |
| 2010s | 21.69 | 21.84 | 0.1571 | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher mean body mass index (bmi) in women, India or Japan?
- India, at 21.9 against 21.8 in Japan as of 2016.
- What is the difference in mean body mass index (bmi) in women between India and Japan?
- 0.1, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and Japan?
- 42 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2016.
- How do India and Japan rank globally for mean body mass index (bmi) in women?
- India ranks 182nd and Japan ranks 185th of 190 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) β 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'.