Saudi Arabia vs South Africa: Mean body mass index (BMI) in women
Saudi Arabia
29.2
in 2016
South Africa
29.3
in 2016
Saudi Arabia rank
22nd
South Africa rank
21st
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women over time
- Saudi Arabia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 29.3 against 29.2 in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 0.1.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 42 shared years of data; in 1975 it was South Africa ahead.
Saudi Arabia ranks 22nd and South Africa ranks 21st of 190 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Saudi Arabia averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Saudi Arabia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 25.86 | 26.26 | 0.4 | South Africa |
| 1980s | 27.02 | 26.75 | 0.27 | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990s | 28.09 | 27.48 | 0.61 | Saudi Arabia |
| 2000s | 28.71 | 28.35 | 0.36 | Saudi Arabia |
| 2010s | 29.09 | 29.1 | 0.0143 | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher mean body mass index (bmi) in women, Saudi Arabia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 29.3 against 29.2 in Saudi Arabia as of 2016.
- What is the difference in mean body mass index (bmi) in women between Saudi Arabia and South Africa?
- 0.1, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Saudi Arabia and South Africa?
- 42 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2016.
- How do Saudi Arabia and South Africa rank globally for mean body mass index (bmi) in women?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 22nd 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'.