Costa Rica vs El Salvador: Mean body mass index (BMI) in men
Costa Rica
26.8
in 2016
El Salvador
26.8
in 2016
Costa Rica rank
62nd
El Salvador rank
62nd
Mean body mass index (BMI) in men over time
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 26.8 against 26.8 in El Salvador, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 42 shared years of data; in 1975 it was El Salvador ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 62nd and El Salvador ranks 62nd of 190 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 2 and El Salvador in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | El Salvador | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 23.04 | 23 | 0.04 | Costa Rica |
| 1980s | 23.79 | 23.81 | 0.02 | El Salvador |
| 1990s | 24.88 | 24.87 | 0.01 | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 25.89 | 25.92 | 0.03 | El Salvador |
| 2010s | 26.56 | 26.61 | 0.0571 | El Salvador |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher mean body mass index (bmi) in men, Costa Rica or El Salvador?
- Costa Rica, at 26.8 against 26.8 in El Salvador as of 2016.
- What is the difference in mean body mass index (bmi) in men between Costa Rica and El Salvador?
- 0, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and El Salvador?
- 42 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2016.
- How do Costa Rica and El Salvador rank globally for mean body mass index (bmi) in men?
- Costa Rica ranks 62nd and El Salvador ranks 62nd of 190 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) β 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'.