Weight of the World: Average BMI Values for Adults Around the Globe

A new chart shows the average body mass index (BMI) values for adults around the globe revealing the countries which contain the heaviest and lightest citizens.

With its wealthy society and love of fast food outlets, many would place the United States at the top of the list.

However, the US is piped to first place in the BMI chart by Kuwait.

The Arab state has an average BMI of 27.5 for men and 31.4 for women.

Kuwait beats the US in second place which averages 26.5 for men and 29 for women.

Adults who have an average body weight of between 18.5 and 24.9 are generally considered to have the ideal body weight for their height.

Other countries which appear to be heavy include UK, Germany, Greece and Argentina.

Despite its reputation as a sport-crazy outdoor country, Australia features 11th on the list, which was compiled by Visual.ly.

It is unsurprising that some of the world’s poorest countries in Asia and Africa feature as the countries with the lowest BMI.

People from Bangladesh have the lowest BMI – with men at 20.5 and women at 19.8.

Other countries close to the bottom include some which have been riven by war and famine – including Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya and Eritrea.

Some countries also have wide discrepancies between men and women.

In Jamaica, the average BMI for a man is 24.8 while for women it is 29.8. Similar trends are also noticeable in Lesotho, Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti.