Sweden: body mass index by age group 2021

The highest share of individuals in normal weight in Sweden in 2021 were in the age group from 16 to 29 years old, and reached 63.6 percent. Normal weight is defined as a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9. The lowest share of individuals of a normal weight was in the age group from 50 to 64 years old, where the share was 37.8 percent. This age group also had the highest share of individuals that were obese, reaching 20.7 percent.

Distribution of body mass index (BMI) in Sweden in 2021, by age group

Characteristic	16-29 years	30-49 years	50-64 years	65 years and older
Underweight (BMI under 18.5)	3.8%	1.1%	0.5%	1.4%
Normal weight (BMI between 18.5 and 24.9)	63.6%	47.1%	37.8%	42%
Overweight (BMI between 25.0 and 29.9)	23.7%	36.4%	40.9%	41.1%
Obese (BMI 30.0 or more)	8.9%	15.4%	20.7%	15.4%

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Release date

April 2022

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Region

Sweden

Survey time period

2021

Supplementary notes

The statistic is based on a survey where the following questions were asked: "How tall are you?" and "How much do you weigh?". Between 12,000 and 13,000 persons were interviewed over a one year period. According to the survey results, the BMI was calculated.

The source adds the following information: "BMI is calculated as the ratio between body weight (in kilograms) and the squared body height (in meters): (Weight/(height*height))."

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