Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Nepal
Nepal: Mean body mass index (BMI) in women was 22.5 in 2016. ▲ Rising
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Nepal, 1975–2016
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Nepal recorded 22.5 for mean body mass index (bmi) in women in 2016. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Nepal peaked at 22.5 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 17, in 1975.
That places Nepal 177th out of 190 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Nepal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 17 | — |
| 1976 | 17.2 | +1.2% |
| 1977 | 17.3 | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 17.4 | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 17.5 | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 17.7 | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 17.8 | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 17.9 | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 18.1 | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 18.2 | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 18.3 | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 18.4 | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 18.6 | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 18.7 | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 18.8 | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 19 | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 19.1 | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 19.2 | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 19.4 | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 19.5 | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 19.6 | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 19.8 | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 19.9 | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 20 | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 20.2 | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 20.3 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 20.5 | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 20.6 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 20.7 | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 20.9 | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 21 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 21.1 | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 21.3 | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 21.4 | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 21.5 | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 21.7 | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 21.8 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 21.9 | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 22.1 | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 22.2 | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 22.3 | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 22.5 | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 17.28 | 17 | 17.5 | 5 |
| 1980s | 18.25 | 17.7 | 18.8 | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.57 | 19 | 20.2 | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.93 | 20.3 | 21.5 | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.07 | 21.7 | 22.5 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
- 175 Rwanda 22.8 compare
- 176 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 22.6 compare
- 178 Cambodia 22.3 compare
- 178 Niger 22.3 compare
- 180 Burkina Faso 22.1 compare
More gender data for Nepal
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 7,927 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.7039 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 22,583 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 22,583 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.5 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 264,089 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 273,367 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 265,882 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 274,092 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 268,570 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Nepal?
- Mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Nepal was 22.5 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 22.5 in 2016.
- What is the lowest mean body mass index (bmi) in women recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 17 in 1975.
- How does Nepal rank for mean body mass index (bmi) in women?
- Nepal ranks 177th out of 190 countries with data for 2016.
- Is mean body mass index (bmi) in women rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal 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'.