Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Gabon
Gabon: Mean body mass index (BMI) in women was 26.5 in 2016. ▲ Rising
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Gabon, 1975–2016
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Gabon recorded 26.5 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% on the previous year and up 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Gabon peaked at 26.5 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 20, in 1975.
That places Gabon 83rd 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 Gabon, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 20 | — |
| 1976 | 20.2 | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 20.4 | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 20.7 | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 20.9 | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 21.1 | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 21.4 | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 21.6 | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 21.8 | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 22 | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 22.2 | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 22.3 | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 22.5 | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 22.7 | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 22.8 | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 23 | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 23.1 | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 23.3 | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 23.4 | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 23.6 | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 23.7 | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 23.9 | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 24 | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 24.2 | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 24.3 | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 24.5 | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 24.6 | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 24.8 | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 24.9 | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 25 | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 25.2 | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 25.3 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 25.4 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 25.6 | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 25.7 | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 25.8 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 25.9 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 26 | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 26.2 | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 26.3 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 26.4 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 26.5 | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 20.44 | 20 | 20.9 | 5 |
| 1980s | 22.04 | 21.1 | 22.8 | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.65 | 23 | 24.3 | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.1 | 24.5 | 25.7 | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.16 | 25.8 | 26.5 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Gabon
More gender data for Gabon
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 990.81 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.931 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 1,876 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 1,876 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 2.52 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 33,463 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 33,974 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 33,191 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 33,672 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 33,027 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Gabon?
- Mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Gabon was 26.5 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 Gabon?
- The highest recorded value was 26.5 in 2016.
- What is the lowest mean body mass index (bmi) in women recorded in Gabon?
- The lowest recorded value was 20 in 1975.
- How does Gabon rank for mean body mass index (bmi) in women?
- Gabon ranks 83rd out of 190 countries with data for 2016.
- Is mean body mass index (bmi) in women rising or falling in Gabon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Gabon 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'.