Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Finland
Finland: Mean body mass index (BMI) in women was 25.5 in 2016. ▲ Rising
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Finland, 1975–2016
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Finland recorded 25.5 for mean body mass index (bmi) in women in 2016. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Finland peaked at 25.5 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 24, in 1975.
That places Finland 118th out of 190 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Finland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 24 | — |
| 1976 | 24.1 | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 24.1 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 24.1 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 24.2 | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 24.2 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 24.3 | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 24.3 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 24.4 | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 24.4 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 24.5 | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 24.5 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 24.6 | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 24.6 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 24.7 | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 24.8 | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 24.8 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 24.9 | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 25 | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 25 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 25.1 | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 25.1 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 25.2 | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 25.2 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 25.3 | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 25.3 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 25.3 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 25.4 | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 25.4 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 25.4 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 25.4 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 25.4 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 25.5 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 25.5 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 25.5 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 25.5 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 25.5 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 25.5 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 25.5 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 25.5 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 25.5 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 25.5 | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 24.1 | 24 | 24.2 | 5 |
| 1980s | 24.45 | 24.2 | 24.7 | 10 |
| 1990s | 25.04 | 24.8 | 25.3 | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.41 | 25.3 | 25.5 | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.5 | 25.5 | 25.5 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Finland
More gender data for Finland
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 722.94 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -1.98 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 4,869 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 4,869 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.1211 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 21,608 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 22,763 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 21,714 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 22,886 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 22,103 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Finland?
- Mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Finland was 25.5 in 2016, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest mean body mass index (bmi) in women recorded in Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 25.5 in 2007.
- What is the lowest mean body mass index (bmi) in women recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 24 in 1975.
- How does Finland rank for mean body mass index (bmi) in women?
- Finland ranks 118th out of 190 countries with data for 2016.
- Is mean body mass index (bmi) in women rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Finland data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Mean body mass index (BMI) in women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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'.