Malawi vs Somalia: Mean body mass index (BMI) in men
Malawi
22.6
in 2016
Somalia
22.5
in 2016
Malawi rank
152nd
Somalia rank
155th
Mean body mass index (BMI) in men over time
- Malawi
- Somalia
How they compare
Malawi currently reports 22.6 against 22.5 in Somalia, a difference of 0.1.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 42 shared years of data; in 1975 it was Somalia ahead.
Malawi ranks 152nd and Somalia ranks 155th of 190 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Malawi averaged higher in 1 and Somalia in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | Somalia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 19.16 | 19.4 | 0.24 | Somalia |
| 1980s | 20 | 20.23 | 0.23 | Somalia |
| 1990s | 21.03 | 21.16 | 0.13 | Somalia |
| 2000s | 21.84 | 21.86 | 0.02 | Somalia |
| 2010s | 22.39 | 22.33 | 0.0571 | Malawi |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher mean body mass index (bmi) in men, Malawi or Somalia?
- Malawi, at 22.6 against 22.5 in Somalia as of 2016.
- What is the difference in mean body mass index (bmi) in men between Malawi and Somalia?
- 0.1, with Malawi ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Somalia?
- 42 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2016.
- How do Malawi and Somalia rank globally for mean body mass index (bmi) in men?
- Malawi ranks 152nd and Somalia 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'.