Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Malaysia
Malaysia: Mean body mass index (BMI) in women was 26.1 in 2016. ▲ Rising
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Malaysia, 1975–2016
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 26.1 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 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Malaysia peaked at 26.1 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 20.7, in 1975.
That places Malaysia 99th 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 Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 20.7 | — |
| 1976 | 20.8 | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 21 | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 21.1 | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 21.3 | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 21.4 | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 21.6 | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 21.7 | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 21.8 | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 22 | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 22.1 | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 22.3 | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 22.4 | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 22.5 | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 22.7 | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 22.8 | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 22.9 | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 23.1 | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 23.2 | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 23.3 | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 23.5 | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 23.6 | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 23.8 | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 23.9 | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 24 | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 24.2 | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 24.3 | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 24.4 | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 24.6 | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 24.7 | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 24.8 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 24.9 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 25 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 25.2 | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 25.3 | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 25.4 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 25.5 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 25.6 | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 25.8 | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 25.9 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 26 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 26.1 | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 20.98 | 20.7 | 21.3 | 5 |
| 1980s | 22.05 | 21.4 | 22.7 | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.41 | 22.8 | 24 | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.74 | 24.2 | 25.3 | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.76 | 25.4 | 26.1 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More gender data for Malaysia
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 7,206 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -1.39 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 30,756 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 30,756 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.62 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 214,187 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 227,793 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 214,543 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 228,149 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 213,108 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Malaysia?
- Mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Malaysia was 26.1 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 26.1 in 2016.
- What is the lowest mean body mass index (bmi) in women recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.7 in 1975.
- How does Malaysia rank for mean body mass index (bmi) in women?
- Malaysia ranks 99th out of 190 countries with data for 2016.
- Is mean body mass index (bmi) in women rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia 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'.