Jump to content

Menu

International weight comparisons


Laura Corin
 Share

Recommended Posts

I know that some people don't set much store by BMI, but I thought that this worldwide weight comparison was interesting. Enter your figures plus your country in the 'calculate your BMI' box. You will get a chart showing the average BMIs worldwide of people your age and sex, and they will also will tell you the nationality's weight that you most closely parallel.

 

Laura

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Laura, can you explain the BMI system numbers used in the UK? The BMI (Orange number in results) was 5.5 times larger than my BMI when using US calculations. I used the website with setting for non-metric numbers.

 

Thanks!

 

[EDIT] Ooops! When I set the calculator to use feet/inches, I thought that it automatically would set to the corresponding use of pounds. I ran the calculator using kg. This time it worked! I have gone from having a "weight sister" in Tonga to having one in Bolivia. :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmmmm.....They say I am most like someone from Ethiopia. That seems strange to me. BMI is a wierd index to me though, as I am usually told I need to gain weight but I knkow perfectly well that I could stand to lose about 5 pounds. (And no, I don't have an eating disorder.) I think my build just doesn't make it a very useful measurement.

Elaine

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Laura, can you explain the BMI system numbers used in the UK? The BMI (Orange number in results) was 5.5 times larger than my BMI when using US calculations. I used the website with setting for non-metric numbers.

 

Thanks!

 

Did you click to choose 'pounds'? Whether I clicked Kilograms and entered 64 or clicked pounds and entered 141, the BMI was the same at 24.

 

I saw your update - glad it makes more sense now.

 

Laura

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm Papua New Guinea, but I had to guess my weight since I haven't weighed myself in about a year and dd is in the bathroom taking a shower (which means she'll be there for about another hour, sigh). I put in something higher than I've ever been other than when pregnant and still landed this low on the chart. Then I added another 5 lbs, and made it up to Afghanistan. This is all ... weird.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm Papua New Guinea, but I had to guess my weight since I haven't weighed myself in about a year and dd is in the bathroom taking a shower (which means she'll be there for about another hour, sigh). I put in something higher than I've ever been other than when pregnant and still landed this low on the chart. Then I added another 5 lbs, and made it up to Afghanistan. This is all ... weird.

 

 

My age range at 49 is from 45-59, which puts me in with more older people (who tend to be fatter) than younger people.

 

I think the averaging might be a bit strange too. I'm meant to have a lower BMI than the average French woman in my age range. I'm wondering if most French women are slimmer than me, but a relatively small number of obese people might swing the average.

 

Laura

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm below national and world averages, so I can go to France and say "bite me" if there is any Fat American talk. This was in interesting site. I feel like I'm cheating a bit because I'm in an older category even though my weight has been the same for 20 years. I also gained 1 1/4 inch in height in adulthood, so I'm not entirely sure that better posture translates to lower BMI.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is what I got when playing with the index.

 

You're most like someone from Sao Tome and Principe.

 

Apparently I have a BMI lower than 83% of females the same age in my country, but only 57% world wide. I still need to drop 10-15 pounds to keep my blood pressure within normal ranges. If this index is to be believed, then there must be a lot of women out there with high blood pressure and impending heart disease.

 

An side I read in The Week: Baby Boomers ( 1946-1964) are less healthy than their parents' generation 20 years ago. While Boomers may live longer due to advances in medicine, many have chronic diseases. Far too many are obese, have high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. Most of this is due to a sedinary life style.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Apparently I have a BMI lower than 83% of females the same age in my country, but only 57% world wide. I still need to drop 10-15 pounds to keep my blood pressure within normal ranges. If this index is to be believed, then there must be a lot of women out there with high blood pressure and impending heart disease.

 

 

 

I'm pretty sure BMI as figured here doesn't have much to do with blood pressure and heart disease.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm Toga, not to be confused with Tonga. It has me as below both world and us average, which is really hard to believe. I'm at least 20lbs overweight. For real, I have an easily grabable spare tire. I am not an obsessive weight person and I definitely don't have body image hang ups. It just is what it is. Bmi is a weird thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm most like someone from Laos in my age group (I'm 48). And I'm below both the national and global averages. Which is nice, but I'm about 10 lb. over my ideal weight. I probably compare to middle-aged Laotian women only because I'm at the top end of the healthy weight range for my height. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm pretty sure BMI as figured here doesn't have much to do with blood pressure and heart disease.

 

How can it not be a factor? BMI is a measurement of the amount of body fat a person carries. The more extra weight a person carries the more likely that person will have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How can it not be a factor? BMI is a measurement of the amount of body fat a person carries. The more extra weight a person carries the more likely that person will have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease.

 

I'm overweight and so is a lot of my side of the family. There is no high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease. There was one with diabetes, but it was type 1 diagnosed when young. The only heart disease in my family was on my dad's side, and that gpa was skinny. My fil has had heart problems, but again he is very active and skinny.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

According to that I am below average (which is correct) and 85% of women around the world, in my age range, have a higher BMI. I'm most like women from Ethiopia. For some reason I find that very funny.

 

I got Ethiopia, so I added a few pounds to make myself feel better. I'm up to Nepal now! The truth is, if I do very little (summer) my appetite and weight drops. When I'm actually in good shape and dancing at least 8 hours a week, I can be up to ten pounds heavier and feel and look better. Also, I'm short waisted. Most of my height is legs, not torso. That has to make a difference.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, well, well. I have a lower BMI than 76% of the females in my age group in the US. I'm most like someone from Belgium.

 

If I lose weight to my ideal, I'll be most like someone from the Central African Republic, a country which I have never heard of.

 

 

Mine is most like Central African Republic.....I have never heard of them either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's really interesting!

I'm currently at a not so great weight and BMI, but still lower than 53% in the US (in my age range, which is a 14 year range and I'm in the first year of it eek...) and higher than 82% in the world - those statistics REALLY say a lot about the US... great day... oh, and I'm most like someone from St. Lucia.

If I got to where I'd settle to be, I'd be lower than 79% in the US and higher than 52% in the world. Oh, and from Angola lol. :D I'd settle for that. 52% seems pretty average. :)

Of course, if I got to where I'd REALLY like to be (but which I consider almost impossible at this point in my life) I'd be lower than 86% in the US and lower than 60% in the world, similar to a woman my age in Rwanda. But like I said, I just don't think I'll get there again in my lifetime. :D :lol:

 

That's really interesting. Now I'm trying it for my whole family lol... :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Apparently, I would do just fine in a country where there are a lot of starving people. :glare:

 

It's nice to feel slim and all, but I don't think I'm as skinny as those statistics make me appear to be. I'm very small boned, so most of the weight scales and BMI charts aren't very accurate for me, unless they differentiate by frame size. Right now, I feel like I could stand to lose a little weight, but if I lose what I think I need to lose, even Bangladesh will kick my sorry butt to the curb.

 

I really and truly do not believe that fewer than 5% of the women in the USA have a lower BMI than I do. That seems totally wrong to me.

 

Maybe I'll just go have some chocolate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is really sad. I have a BMI of 21, which is pretty much in the middle of the healthy range (18.5 to 23), yet it says I am thinner than 92% of U.S. women my age. I don't look particularly skinny at my current weight. I look like what used to be considered "average" back a couple decades ago...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am such a ding bat. I put in feet/inches but didn't change the KG vs. LBS. I kept thinking, "Wow! I am way higher in BMI than I thought!"

 

 

I did the same thing at first! :D

 

I was staring at my computer screen wondering if I could possibly have a higher BMI than over 80% of the people on the planet. :eek:

 

I got all happy when I realized I'd messed up the whole KG/LBs thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...