Who Has Higher BMI: Men or Women?

The Body Mass Index, or BMI, has been in use for nearly two centuries, yet it remains one of the most widely used tools in health statistics today. The concept was introduced in the 1830s by Belgian mathematician and statistician Adolphe Quetelet, who created the formula (weight divided by height squared) as a way to measure the “average man” in population studies. It wasn’t originally designed for individual diagnosis, but over time, health organizations like the World Health Organization adopted it to track obesity trends and general nutritional health across the globe.

While BMI has its limitations—it doesn’t differentiate fat from muscle—it still gives a useful overview of weight trends by gender, country, or age. And when Reddit user ZeroHmmm created a world map showing which gender has a higher average BMI in each country, it brought out some fascinating regional contrasts.

On this map, countries in green indicate those where men have a higher BMI than women. In red are countries where women have a higher BMI than men. White countries show nearly equal values, and gray means no data.

What stands out immediately is how this difference splits along economic lines or HDI.

In wealthier countries, like Canada, Australia, most of Europe, and parts of East Asia, men tend to have a higher BMI than women. This isn’t too surprising—on average, men in these countries consume more calories and alcohol, and are more likely to work sedentary jobs. At the same time, fitness and weight-loss culture has historically targeted women more aggressively. Those differences in daily habits can be enough to nudge men’s average BMI slightly higher.

In contrast, many developing countries show the opposite trend. Large parts of Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America are colored red, meaning women there have a higher average BMI than men. The reasons are more complex.

One major factor is occupation and energy use. In many of these countries, men are still more likely to do physically demanding labor—farming, construction, or transportation—especially in rural areas. Women, on the other hand, may work closer to home, often in less physically intensive roles. Over time, this difference in activity can show up in BMI figures.

Another influence is culture and diet. In some regions, a fuller female body is traditionally associated with health, prosperity, and fertility. That can shape eating habits and social expectations, especially in places where access to modern fitness trends is limited or uneven between genders.

Here’s another thought that might help explain the pattern: women tend to live longer than men, a difference that’s particularly noticeable in many lower-income countries. And because weight tends to increase with age, this could contribute to the higher BMI among women in these populations. It’s just a guess, but one that seems worth considering.