Italy vs Spain: Mean body mass index (BMI) in women
Italy
24.7
in 2016
Spain
24.8
in 2016
Italy rank
135th
Spain rank
133rd
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women over time
- Italy
- Spain
How they compare
Spain currently reports 24.8 against 24.7 in Italy, a difference of 0.1.
Across all 42 years both countries report, Spain has been ahead every year.
Italy ranks 135th and Spain ranks 133rd of 190 countries.
Spain has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Italy | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 24.4 | 25.2 | 0.8 | Spain |
| 1980s | 24.47 | 25.43 | 0.96 | Spain |
| 1990s | 24.61 | 25.6 | 0.99 | Spain |
| 2000s | 24.85 | 25.51 | 0.66 | Spain |
| 2010s | 24.76 | 25.03 | 0.2714 | Spain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher mean body mass index (bmi) in women, Italy or Spain?
- Spain, at 24.8 against 24.7 in Italy as of 2016.
- What is the difference in mean body mass index (bmi) in women between Italy and Spain?
- 0.1, with Spain ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and Spain?
- 42 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2016.
- How do Italy and Spain rank globally for mean body mass index (bmi) in women?
- Italy ranks 135th and Spain ranks 133rd 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'.