Jamaica vs South Africa: Mean body mass index (BMI) in women
Jamaica
29.6
in 2016
South Africa
29.3
in 2016
Jamaica rank
18th
South Africa rank
21st
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women over time
- Jamaica
- South Africa
How they compare
Jamaica currently reports 29.6 against 29.3 in South Africa, a difference of 0.3.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 42 shared years of data; in 1975 it was South Africa ahead.
Jamaica ranks 18th and South Africa ranks 21st of 190 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Jamaica averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Jamaica | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 23.58 | 26.26 | 2.68 | South Africa |
| 1980s | 24.69 | 26.75 | 2.06 | South Africa |
| 1990s | 26.16 | 27.48 | 1.32 | South Africa |
| 2000s | 27.77 | 28.35 | 0.58 | South Africa |
| 2010s | 29.11 | 29.1 | 0.0143 | Jamaica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher mean body mass index (bmi) in women, Jamaica or South Africa?
- Jamaica, at 29.6 against 29.3 in South Africa as of 2016.
- What is the difference in mean body mass index (bmi) in women between Jamaica and South Africa?
- 0.3, with Jamaica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Jamaica and South Africa?
- 42 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2016.
- How do Jamaica and South Africa rank globally for mean body mass index (bmi) in women?
- Jamaica ranks 18th and South Africa ranks 21st 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'.