Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Sweden
Sweden: Mean body mass index (BMI) in women was 25.4 in 2016. ▲ Rising
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Sweden, 1975–2016
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 25.4 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 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Sweden peaked at 25.4 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 23.7, in 1975.
Sweden ranks 122nd of 190 countries on this measure, 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 Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 23.7 | — |
| 1976 | 23.7 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 23.7 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 23.7 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 23.8 | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 23.8 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 23.8 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 23.8 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 23.8 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 23.8 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 23.9 | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 23.9 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 23.9 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 24 | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 24 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 24 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 24.1 | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 24.1 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 24.2 | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 24.3 | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 24.3 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 24.4 | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 24.4 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 24.5 | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 24.6 | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 24.6 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 24.7 | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 24.7 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 24.8 | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 24.8 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 24.9 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 24.9 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 25 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 25 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 25.1 | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 25.1 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 25.2 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 25.2 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 25.2 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 25.3 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 25.3 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 25.4 | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 23.72 | 23.7 | 23.8 | 5 |
| 1980s | 23.87 | 23.8 | 24 | 10 |
| 1990s | 24.29 | 24 | 24.6 | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.85 | 24.6 | 25.1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.24 | 25.1 | 25.4 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More gender data for Sweden
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 1,663 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -1.5 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 9,179 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 9,179 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.6078 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 47,810 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 50,483 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 48,381 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 51,112 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 50,315 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Sweden?
- Mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Sweden was 25.4 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 25.4 in 2016.
- What is the lowest mean body mass index (bmi) in women recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.7 in 1975.
- How does Sweden rank for mean body mass index (bmi) in women?
- Sweden ranks 122nd out of 190 countries with data for 2016.
- Is mean body mass index (bmi) in women rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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'.