Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Niger
Niger: Mean body mass index (BMI) in women was 22.3 in 2016. ▲ Rising
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Niger, 1975–2016
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Niger recorded 22.3 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 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Niger peaked at 22.3 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 18.6, in 1975.
Niger ranks 178th of 190 countries on this measure, 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 Niger, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 18.6 | — |
| 1976 | 18.7 | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 18.8 | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 18.9 | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 19 | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 19.1 | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 19.2 | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 19.3 | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 19.4 | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 19.5 | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 19.6 | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 19.7 | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 19.8 | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 19.9 | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 20 | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 20.1 | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 20.2 | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 20.2 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 20.3 | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 20.4 | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 20.5 | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 20.6 | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 20.7 | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 20.8 | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 20.9 | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 21 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 21.1 | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 21.2 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 21.3 | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 21.4 | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 21.5 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 21.6 | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 21.7 | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 21.7 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 21.8 | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 21.9 | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 22 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 22 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 22.1 | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 22.2 | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 22.3 | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 22.3 | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 18.8 | 18.6 | 19 | 5 |
| 1980s | 19.55 | 19.1 | 20 | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.47 | 20.1 | 20.9 | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.43 | 21 | 21.8 | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.11 | 21.9 | 22.3 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Niger
- 175 Rwanda 22.8 compare
- 176 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 22.6 compare
- 177 Nepal 22.5 compare
- 178 Cambodia 22.3 compare
- 180 Burkina Faso 22.1 compare
- 181 Bangladesh 22 compare
More gender data for Niger
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 14,378 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 2.03 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 18,140 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 18,140 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 3.76 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 528,190 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 546,108 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 503,963 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 519,307 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 480,074 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Niger?
- Mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Niger was 22.3 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 Niger?
- The highest recorded value was 22.3 in 2015.
- What is the lowest mean body mass index (bmi) in women recorded in Niger?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.6 in 1975.
- How does Niger rank for mean body mass index (bmi) in women?
- Niger ranks 178th out of 190 countries with data for 2016.
- Is mean body mass index (bmi) in women rising or falling in Niger?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Niger 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'.