Malawi vs Nigeria: Mean body mass index (BMI) in men
Malawi
22.6
in 2016
Nigeria
22.5
in 2016
Malawi rank
152nd
Nigeria rank
155th
Mean body mass index (BMI) in men over time
- Malawi
- Nigeria
How they compare
Malawi currently reports 22.6 against 22.5 in Nigeria, a difference of 0.1.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 42 shared years of data; in 1975 it was Nigeria ahead.
Malawi ranks 152nd and Nigeria ranks 155th of 190 countries.
Nigeria has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | Nigeria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 19.16 | 19.7 | 0.54 | Nigeria |
| 1980s | 20 | 20.45 | 0.45 | Nigeria |
| 1990s | 21.03 | 21.36 | 0.33 | Nigeria |
| 2000s | 21.84 | 22.06 | 0.22 | Nigeria |
| 2010s | 22.39 | 22.46 | 0.0714 | Nigeria |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher mean body mass index (bmi) in men, Malawi or Nigeria?
- Malawi, at 22.6 against 22.5 in Nigeria as of 2016.
- What is the difference in mean body mass index (bmi) in men between Malawi and Nigeria?
- 0.1, with Malawi ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Nigeria?
- 42 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2016.
- How do Malawi and Nigeria rank globally for mean body mass index (bmi) in men?
- Malawi ranks 152nd and Nigeria ranks 155th 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'.