Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Kiribati
Kiribati: Mean body mass index (BMI) in women was 31.1 in 2016. ▲ Rising
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Kiribati, 1975–2016
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Kiribati recorded 31.1 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 0.3% on the previous year and up 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Kiribati peaked at 31.1 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 24, in 1975.
That places Kiribati 9th 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 Kiribati, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 24 | — |
| 1976 | 24.2 | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 24.5 | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 24.8 | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 25 | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 25.2 | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 25.5 | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 25.7 | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 25.9 | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 26.2 | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 26.4 | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 26.6 | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 26.8 | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 27 | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 27.2 | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 27.4 | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 27.6 | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 27.8 | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 28 | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 28.1 | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 28.3 | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 28.5 | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 28.7 | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 28.9 | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 29 | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 29.2 | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 29.4 | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 29.5 | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 29.7 | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 29.8 | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 29.9 | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 30 | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 30.2 | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 30.3 | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 30.4 | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 30.5 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 30.6 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 30.7 | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 30.8 | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 30.9 | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 31 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 31.1 | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 24.5 | 24 | 25 | 5 |
| 1980s | 26.25 | 25.2 | 27.2 | 10 |
| 1990s | 28.23 | 27.4 | 29 | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.84 | 29.2 | 30.4 | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.8 | 30.5 | 31.1 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Kiribati
- 6 Tuvalu 31.6 compare
- 7 Egypt 31.4 compare
- 7 Micronesia, Federated States of 31.4 compare
- 10 Saint Kitts and Nevis 30.7 compare
- 11 Belize 30.5 compare
- 12 Kuwait 30.4 compare
- 12 Marshall Islands 30.4 compare
- 12 Saint Lucia 30.4 compare
More gender data for Kiribati
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 1,583 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 1,682 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 1,573 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 1,667 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 1,572 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 1,667 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 1,573 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 1,668 (2025)
- Age population, age 04, female, interpolated 1,568 (2025)
- Age population, age 04, male, interpolated 1,659 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Kiribati?
- Mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Kiribati was 31.1 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 Kiribati?
- The highest recorded value was 31.1 in 2016.
- What is the lowest mean body mass index (bmi) in women recorded in Kiribati?
- The lowest recorded value was 24 in 1975.
- How does Kiribati rank for mean body mass index (bmi) in women?
- Kiribati ranks 9th out of 190 countries with data for 2016.
- Is mean body mass index (bmi) in women rising or falling in Kiribati?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kiribati 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'.