China vs Republic of Korea: Mean body mass index (BMI) in men
China
24.2
in 2016
Republic of Korea
24.4
in 2016
China rank
129th
Republic of Korea rank
127th
Mean body mass index (BMI) in men over time
- China
- Republic of Korea
How they compare
Republic of Korea currently reports 24.4 against 24.2 in China, a difference of 0.2.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 42 shared years of data; in 1975 it was China ahead.
China ranks 129th and Republic of Korea ranks 127th of 190 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and Republic of Korea in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Republic of Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 20.96 | 20.84 | 0.12 | China |
| 1980s | 21.43 | 21.76 | 0.33 | Republic of Korea |
| 1990s | 22.07 | 22.85 | 0.78 | Republic of Korea |
| 2000s | 22.78 | 23.66 | 0.88 | Republic of Korea |
| 2010s | 23.76 | 24.2 | 0.4429 | Republic of Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher mean body mass index (bmi) in men, China or Republic of Korea?
- Republic of Korea, at 24.4 against 24.2 in China as of 2016.
- What is the difference in mean body mass index (bmi) in men between China and Republic of Korea?
- 0.2, with Republic of Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Republic of Korea?
- 42 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2016.
- How do China and Republic of Korea rank globally for mean body mass index (bmi) in men?
- China ranks 129th and Republic of Korea ranks 127th of 190 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Mean body mass index (BMI) in men. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Body mass index (BMI) is measured as a person's weight in kilograms (kg) divided by his 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'.