Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Mean body mass index (BMI) in women was 23.7 in 2016. ▲ Rising
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Sri Lanka, 1975–2016
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 23.7 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 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Sri Lanka peaked at 23.7 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 19.6, in 1975.
Sri Lanka ranks 159th 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 19.6 | — |
| 1976 | 19.7 | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 19.8 | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 19.9 | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 20 | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 20.1 | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 20.1 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 20.2 | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 20.3 | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 20.4 | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 20.5 | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 20.6 | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 20.7 | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 20.8 | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 20.9 | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 21 | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 21.1 | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 21.2 | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 21.3 | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 21.4 | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 21.5 | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 21.6 | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 21.7 | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 21.8 | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 21.9 | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 22 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 22.1 | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 22.2 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 22.3 | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 22.4 | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 22.5 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 22.5 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 22.7 | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 22.8 | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 22.9 | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 23 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 23.1 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 23.2 | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 23.3 | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 23.4 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 23.6 | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 23.7 | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 19.8 | 19.6 | 20 | 5 |
| 1980s | 20.46 | 20.1 | 20.9 | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.45 | 21 | 21.9 | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.44 | 22 | 22.9 | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.33 | 23 | 23.7 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More gender data for Sri Lanka
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 4,804 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.8687 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 18,964 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 18,964 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.7411 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 155,366 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 162,031 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 156,342 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 163,015 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 157,484 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Sri Lanka?
- Mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Sri Lanka was 23.7 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 23.7 in 2016.
- What is the lowest mean body mass index (bmi) in women recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.6 in 1975.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for mean body mass index (bmi) in women?
- Sri Lanka ranks 159th out of 190 countries with data for 2016.
- Is mean body mass index (bmi) in women rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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'.