Average HDL cholesterol levels by country
The estimated average level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, commonly known as "good cholesterol". Healthy levels are considered to be 1mmol/L or above for men or 1.2mmol/L or above for women.
Countries reporting
188
Highest
1.6
Japan
Lowest
0.8
Tuvalu
Median
1.2
Years covered
39
1980–2018
Data points
7,449
What the numbers show
Average HDL cholesterol levels is currently reported for 188 countries. The highest value is 1.6 in Japan; the lowest is 0.8 in Tuvalu.
The median across all reporting countries is 1.2, and the mean is 1.19.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.
Over the past decade 33 countries rose and 28 fell. The largest increase was in Egypt (up 10.0%), and the largest decrease in Tonga (down 18.2%).
Average HDL cholesterol levels: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 1.6 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Australia | 1.5 | 2018 | up 7.1% | rising |
| 3 | Austria | 1.5 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Belgium | 1.5 | 2018 | up 7.1% | rising |
| 3 | Switzerland | 1.5 | 2018 | up 7.1% | flat |
| 3 | Czechia | 1.5 | 2018 | up 7.1% | rising |
| 3 | Germany | 1.5 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Finland | 1.5 | 2018 | up 7.1% | flat |
| 3 | France | 1.5 | 2018 | up 7.1% | flat |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 1.5 | 2018 | up 7.1% | rising |
| 3 | Iceland | 1.5 | 2018 | up 7.1% | flat |
| 3 | Latvia | 1.5 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Sweden | 1.5 | 2018 | up 7.1% | rising |
| 16 | Albania | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Andorra | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 16 | Bulgaria | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Belarus | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 16 | Canada | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 16 | Cyprus | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Denmark | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Spain | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Estonia | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Greece | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Croatia | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Hungary | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 16 | Italy | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | South Korea | 1.4 | 2018 | up 7.7% | rising |
| 16 | Lithuania | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | North Macedonia | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Montenegro | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Mongolia | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 16 | Netherlands | 1.4 | 2018 | up 7.7% | flat |
| 16 | Norway | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | falling |
| 16 | New Zealand | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 16 | Poland | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Portugal | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Romania | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 16 | Russia | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Singapore | 1.4 | 2018 | up 7.7% | rising |
| 16 | Serbia | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Slovakia | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Slovenia | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Ukraine | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | United States | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 48 | Bahamas | 1.3 | 2018 | up 8.3% | rising |
| 48 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1.3 | 2018 | unchanged | falling |
| 48 | Brunei | 1.3 | 2018 | up 8.3% | rising |
| 48 | Botswana | 1.3 | 2018 | up 8.3% | flat |
| 48 | China | 1.3 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 48 | Guyana | 1.3 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 48 | Israel | 1.3 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 48 | Lebanon | 1.3 | 2018 | up 8.3% | rising |
| 48 | Moldova | 1.3 | 2018 | unchanged | falling |
| 48 | Malaysia | 1.3 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 48 | North Korea | 1.3 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 48 | Turkmenistan | 1.3 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 48 | South Africa | 1.3 | 2018 | up 8.3% | rising |
| 48 | Zimbabwe | 1.3 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Angola | 1.2 | 2018 | up 9.1% | flat |
| 62 | United Arab Emirates | 1.2 | 2018 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 62 | Argentina | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 62 | Bahrain | 1.2 | 2018 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 62 | Belize | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Brazil | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 62 | Chile | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 62 | Congo | 1.2 | 2018 | up 9.1% | flat |
| 62 | Cuba | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 62 | Dominica | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Dominican Republic | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Ecuador | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Gabon | 1.2 | 2018 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 62 | Ghana | 1.2 | 2018 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 62 | Equatorial Guinea | 1.2 | 2018 | up 9.1% | flat |
| 62 | Grenada | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Haiti | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Indonesia | 1.2 | 2018 | up 9.1% | flat |
| 62 | Iran | 1.2 | 2018 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 62 | Iraq | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 62 | Jamaica | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Jordan | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 62 | Kazakhstan | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 62 | Kuwait | 1.2 | 2018 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 62 | Libya | 1.2 | 2018 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 62 | Mauritius | 1.2 | 2018 | down 7.7% | falling |
| 62 | Namibia | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Oman | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 62 | Qatar | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 62 | Saudi Arabia | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 62 | Eswatini | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Seychelles | 1.2 | 2018 | down 7.7% | falling |
| 62 | Syria | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 62 | Thailand | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Tunisia | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 62 | Turkey | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 62 | Uruguay | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 62 | Uzbekistan | 1.2 | 2018 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 62 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1.2 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Afghanistan | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | falling |
| 102 | Armenia | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Antigua and Barbuda | 1.1 | 2018 | down 8.3% | flat |
| 102 | Azerbaijan | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Benin | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Bangladesh | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | falling |
| 102 | Bhutan | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | falling |
| 102 | Central African Republic | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Cote d'Ivoire | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Cameroon | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Comoros | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Cape Verde | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Djibouti | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 102 | Algeria | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 102 | Egypt | 1.1 | 2018 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 102 | Eritrea | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Guinea | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Gambia | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Guinea-Bissau | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Honduras | 1.1 | 2018 | down 8.3% | flat |
| 102 | Kenya | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Kyrgyzstan | 1.1 | 2018 | down 8.3% | flat |
| 102 | Cambodia | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1.1 | 2018 | down 8.3% | flat |
| 102 | Liberia | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Saint Lucia | 1.1 | 2018 | down 8.3% | falling |
| 102 | Sri Lanka | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Lesotho | 1.1 | 2018 | down 8.3% | falling |
| 102 | Morocco | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Madagascar | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Maldives | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Mexico | 1.1 | 2018 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 102 | Mali | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Myanmar | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Mozambique | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Mauritania | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Nigeria | 1.1 | 2018 | up 10.0% | flat |
| 102 | Nepal | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | falling |
| 102 | Pakistan | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Peru | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 102 | Philippines | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Paraguay | 1.1 | 2018 | down 8.3% | flat |
| 102 | Senegal | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Sierra Leone | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Somalia | 1.1 | 2018 | up 10.0% | falling |
| 102 | Sao Tome and Principe | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 102 | Suriname | 1.1 | 2018 | down 8.3% | rising |
| 102 | Togo | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Tajikistan | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Tanzania | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Vietnam | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Yemen | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Zambia | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 102 | Cook Islands | 1.1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 157 | Burundi | 1 | 2018 | unchanged | falling |
| 157 | Burkina Faso | 1 | 2018 | unchanged | falling |
| 157 | Bolivia | 1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 157 | Barbados | 1 | 2018 | unchanged | falling |
| 157 | Colombia | 1 | 2018 | unchanged | rising |
| 157 | Costa Rica | 1 | 2018 | down 9.1% | flat |
| 157 | Ethiopia | 1 | 2018 | unchanged | falling |
| 157 | Fiji | 1 | 2018 | down 9.1% | falling |
| 157 | Georgia | 1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 157 | Guatemala | 1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 157 | India | 1 | 2018 | unchanged | falling |
| 157 | Laos | 1 | 2018 | unchanged | falling |
| 157 | Marshall Islands | 1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 157 | Niger | 1 | 2018 | down 9.1% | falling |
| 157 | Nicaragua | 1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 157 | Nauru | 1 | 2018 | down 9.1% | rising |
| 157 | Panama | 1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 157 | Palau | 1 | 2018 | unchanged | falling |
| 157 | Papua New Guinea | 1 | 2018 | down 9.1% | falling |
| 157 | Rwanda | 1 | 2018 | unchanged | falling |
| 157 | Sudan | 1 | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 157 | Solomon Islands | 1 | 2018 | down 9.1% | falling |
| 157 | Chad | 1 | 2018 | down 9.1% | flat |
| 157 | East Timor | 1 | 2018 | down 9.1% | flat |
| 157 | Uganda | 1 | 2018 | down 9.1% | falling |
| 157 | Venezuela | 1 | 2018 | down 9.1% | rising |
| 157 | Vanuatu | 1 | 2018 | down 9.1% | falling |
| 157 | Samoa | 1 | 2018 | down 9.1% | falling |
| 185 | Micronesia (country) | 0.9 | 2018 | down 10.0% | falling |
| 185 | Malawi | 0.9 | 2018 | unchanged | falling |
| 185 | El Salvador | 0.9 | 2018 | down 10.0% | flat |
| 185 | Tonga | 0.9 | 2018 | down 18.2% | falling |
| 185 | Niue | 0.9 | 2018 | down 10.0% | falling |
| 190 | Kiribati | 0.8 | 2018 | down 11.1% | falling |
| 190 | Tuvalu | 0.8 | 2018 | down 11.1% | falling |
About this data
The estimated average level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, commonly known as "good cholesterol". Healthy levels are considered to be 1mmol/L or above for men or 1.2mmol/L or above for women.