South Africa vs Syria: Mean body mass index (BMI) in women
South Africa
29.3
in 2016
Syria
29.2
in 2016
South Africa rank
21st
Syria rank
22nd
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women over time
- South Africa
- Syria
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 29.3 against 29.2 in Syria, a difference of 0.1.
Across all 42 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 21st and Syria ranks 22nd of 190 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Syria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 26.26 | 25.3 | 0.96 | South Africa |
| 1980s | 26.75 | 26.15 | 0.6 | South Africa |
| 1990s | 27.48 | 27.16 | 0.32 | South Africa |
| 2000s | 28.35 | 28.18 | 0.17 | South Africa |
| 2010s | 29.1 | 28.9 | 0.2 | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher mean body mass index (bmi) in women, South Africa or Syria?
- South Africa, at 29.3 against 29.2 in Syria as of 2016.
- What is the difference in mean body mass index (bmi) in women between South Africa and Syria?
- 0.1, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Syria?
- 42 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2016.
- How do South Africa and Syria rank globally for mean body mass index (bmi) in women?
- South Africa ranks 21st and Syria ranks 22nd 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'.