Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Jamaica
Jamaica: Mean body mass index (BMI) in women was 29.6 in 2016. ▲ Rising
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Jamaica, 1975–2016
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Jamaica recorded 29.6 for mean body mass index (bmi) in women in 2016. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Jamaica peaked at 29.6 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 23.3, in 1975.
That places Jamaica 18th out of 190 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 23.3 | — |
| 1976 | 23.4 | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 23.6 | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 23.7 | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 23.9 | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 24 | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 24.2 | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 24.3 | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 24.5 | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 24.6 | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 24.8 | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 24.9 | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 25.1 | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 25.2 | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 25.3 | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 25.5 | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 25.6 | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 25.8 | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 25.9 | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 26.1 | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 26.2 | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 26.4 | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 26.5 | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 26.7 | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 26.9 | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 27 | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 27.2 | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 27.4 | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 27.5 | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 27.7 | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 27.9 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 28 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 28.2 | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 28.3 | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 28.5 | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 28.6 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 28.8 | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 29 | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 29.1 | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 29.3 | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 29.4 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 29.6 | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 23.58 | 23.3 | 23.9 | 5 |
| 1980s | 24.69 | 24 | 25.3 | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.16 | 25.5 | 26.9 | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.77 | 27 | 28.5 | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.11 | 28.6 | 29.6 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More gender data for Jamaica
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 468.29 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -1.89 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 2,341 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 2,341 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.0684 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 15,460 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 16,015 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 15,603 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 16,169 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 15,800 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Jamaica?
- Mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Jamaica was 29.6 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 Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 29.6 in 2016.
- What is the lowest mean body mass index (bmi) in women recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.3 in 1975.
- How does Jamaica rank for mean body mass index (bmi) in women?
- Jamaica ranks 18th out of 190 countries with data for 2016.
- Is mean body mass index (bmi) in women rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Jamaica 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'.