Human body weight

Human body weight is a person's mass or weight.

Strictly speaking, body weight is the measurement of mass without items located on the person. Practically though, body weight may be measured with clothes on, but without shoes or heavy accessories such as mobile phones and wallets, and using manual or digital weighing scales. Excess or reduced body weight is regarded as an indicator of determining a person's health, with body volume measurement providing an extra dimension by calculating the distribution of body weight.

Average adult human weight varies by continent, from about Template:Cvt in Asia and Africa to about Template:Cvt in North America, with men on average weighing more than women.

Estimation in children

File:Broselowtape.JPG

An example of a half unfolded Broselow tape

There are a number of methods to estimate weight in children for circumstances (such as emergencies) when actual weight cannot be measured. Most involve a parent or health care provider guessing the child's weight through weight-estimation formulas. These formulas base their findings on the child's age and tape-based systems of weight estimation. Of the many formulas that have been used for estimating body weight, some include the Advanced Pediatric Life Support formula, the Leffler formula, and Theron formula.<ref name=Ped09/> There are also several types of tape-based systems for estimating children's weight, with the best-known being the Broselow tape.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The Broselow tape is based on length with weight read from the appropriate color area. Newer systems, such as the PAWPER tape, make use of a simple two-step process to estimate weight: the length-based weight estimation is modified according to the child's body habitus to increase the accuracy of the final weight prediction.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

The Leffler formula is used for children 0–10 years of age.<ref name=Ped09/> In those less than a year old, it is

<math>m = \tfrac{1}{2}a_m + 4</math>

and for those 1–10 years old, it is

<math>m = 2a_y + 10</math>

where m is the number of kilograms the child weighs and a_m and a_y respectively are the number of months or years old the child is.<ref name=Ped09/>

The Theron formula is

<math>m = e^{0.175571a_y + 2.197099}</math>

where m and a_y are as above.<ref name=Ped09>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Fluctuation

Body weight varies in small amounts throughout the day, as the amount of water in the body is not constant. It changes due to activities such as drinking, urinating, or exercise.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Professional sports participants may deliberately dehydrate themselves to enter a lower weight class, a practice known as weight cutting.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Ideal body weight

Ideal body weight (IBW) was initially introduced by Ben J. Devine in 1974 to allow estimation of drug clearances in obese patients;<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> researchers have since shown that the metabolism of certain drugs relates more to IBW than total body weight.<ref name="IBW">Template:Cite journal</ref> The term was based on the use of insurance data that demonstrated the relative mortality for males and females according to different height-weight combinations.

The most common estimation of IBW is by the Devine formula; other models exist and have been noted to give similar results.<ref name=IBW /> Other methods used in estimating the ideal body weight are body mass index and the Hamwi method. The IBW is not the perfect fat measurement, as it does not show the fat or muscle percentage in one's body. For example, athletes' results may show that they are overweight when they are actually very fit and healthy. Machines like the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry can accurately measure the percentage and weight of fat, muscle, and bone in a body.

Devine formula

The Devine formula for calculating ideal body weight in adults is as follows:<ref name=IBW />

• Male ideal body weight = Template:Convert + Template:Convert × (height (cm) − 152)
• Female ideal body weight = Template:Convert + Template:Convert × (height (cm) − 152)

Hamwi method

The Hamwi method is used to calculate the ideal body weight of the general adult:<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

• Male ideal body weight = Template:Convert + Template:Convert × (height (cm) − 152)
• Female ideal body weight = Template:Convert + Template:Convert × (height (cm) − 152)

Usage

Sports

Many disciplines in weightlifting or combat sports separate competitors into weight classes.

Medicine

Ideal body weight, specifically the Devine formula, is used clinically for multiple reasons, most commonly in estimating renal function in drug dosing, and predicting pharmacokinetics in morbidly obese patients.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Average weight around the world

By region

Data from 2005:

Region	Adult population (millions)	Average weight	% Overweight	Template:Tooltip
Africa	535	Template:Convert	28.9%	<ref name="biomed"/>
Asia	2,815	Template:Convert	24.2%	<ref name="biomed">Template:Cite journal</ref>
Europe	606	Template:Convert	55.6%	<ref name="biomed"/>
Latin America and the Caribbean	386	Template:Convert	57.9%	<ref name="biomed"/>
North America	263	Template:Convert	73.9%	<ref name="biomed"/>
Oceania	24	Template:Convert	63.3%	<ref name="biomed"/>
World	4,630	Template:Convert	34.7%	<ref name="biomed"/>

By country

Country	Average male weight	Average female weight	Sample population / age range	Template:Tooltip	Year	Template:Tooltip
Template:AFG	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18–69	Measured	2018	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:DZA	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	25–64	Measured	2005	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
{{#invoke:flag	Armenia}}	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18–69	Measured	2016	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:AUS	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18+	Measured	2018	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:AZE	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	16+	Measured	2005	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:BGD	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	25+	Measured	2009–2010	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
{{#invoke:flag	Belarus}}	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18+	Measured	2008	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:BLZ	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	20+	Measured	2010	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:BEN	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18–69	Measured	2015	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:BTN	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18–69	Measured	2014	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:BWA	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	15–69	Measured	2014	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:BRA	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	20–74	Measured	2008–2009	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:BRN	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	19+	Measured	2010–2011	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
{{#invoke:flag	Bulgaria}}	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	21–59	Self-reported	2021	<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Template:BFA	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	25–64	Measured	2013	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:KHM	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	25–64	Measured	2010	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:CMR	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	15+	Measured	2003	<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Template:CAN	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18–79	Measured	2007–2009	<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Template:CHL	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	15+	Measured	2009–2010	<ref>Encuesta Nacional de Salud 2009–2010 Template:Webarchive (p. 81)</ref>
Template:CRI - San José	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	20+	Measured	2010	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
{{#invoke:flag	Czech Republic}}	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	25–64	Measured	2016–2017	<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
{{#invoke:flag	Estonia}}	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18+	Measured	2003–2010	<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
{{#invoke:flag	France}}	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	15+	Measured	2005	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
{{#invoke:flag	name=Georgia}}	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18–69	Measured	2016	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
{{#invoke:flag	Germany}}	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18+	Self-reported	2021	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
{{#invoke:flag	India}}	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	16+	Measured	2020	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
{{#invoke:flag	Norway}}	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18+	Self-reported	2020	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:OMN	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18+	Measured	2017	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:PAK	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18–69	Measured	2013–2014	<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Template:PNG	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	15–64	Measured	2007–2008	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:QAT	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18–64	Measured	2012	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
{{#invoke:flag	}}	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	19+	Measured	2018	<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Template:RWA	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	15–64	Measured	2012–2013	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:KNA	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	25–64	Measured	2007–2008	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:SAU	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	25–64	Measured	2005	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:SRB	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	20+	Measured	2013	<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Template:SLE	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	25–64	Measured	2009	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:SLB	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	25–64	Measured	2006	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:KOR	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18+	Measured	2019	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
{{#invoke:flag	Spain}}	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18–64	Measured	2013	<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Template:LKA	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18–69	Measured	2014–2015	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:SDN	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18–69	Measured	2016	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
{{#invoke:flag	Sweden}}	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	16–84	Measured	2003–2004	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:TGO	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	15–64	Measured	2010	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:TON	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	25–64	Measured	2012	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:TTO	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	15–64	Measured	2011	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
{{#invoke:flag	Turkey}}	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	15+	Measured	2017	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:TKM	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18–69	Measured	2018	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:GBR – England	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	16+	Measured	2019	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:GBR – Wales	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	16+	Measured	2009	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
{{#invoke:flag	Ukraine}}	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	18+	Measured	2020	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:USA	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	20+	Measured	2015–2018	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Global statistics

Researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine published a study of average weights of adult humans in the journal BMC Public Health and at the United Nations conference Rio+20.<ref>Data extracted from Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Rank	Country	Kilograms	Pounds	Relative size
1	Micronesia	87.398	Template:Bartable
2	Tonga	87.344	Template:Bartable
3	United States	81.928	Template:Bartable
4	Samoa	78.544	Template:Bartable
5	Kuwait	77.791	Template:Bartable
6	Australia	77.356	Template:Bartable
7	Malta	76.956	Template:Bartable
8	Qatar	76.866	Template:Bartable
9	Croatia	76.412	Template:Bartable
10	United Kingdom	75.795	Template:Bartable
11	UAE	75.532	Template:Bartable
12	Greece	75.038	Template:Bartable
13	Cyprus	74.802	Template:Bartable
14	Egypt	74.271	Template:Bartable
15	Barbados	73.831	Template:Bartable
16	Belarus	73.663	Template:Bartable
17	Bahrain	73.550	Template:Bartable
18	Germany	73.042	Template:Bartable
19	Solomon Islands	72.797	Template:Bartable
20	Austria	72.743	Template:Bartable
21	Saudi Arabia	72.638	Template:Bartable
22	Iceland	72.584	Template:Bartable
23	Trinidad & Tobago	72.538	Template:Bartable
24	Argentina	72.434	Template:Bartable
25	Bahamas	72.380	Template:Bartable
26	Finland	72.348	Template:Bartable
27	Israel	71.912	Template:Bartable
28	Czech Rep.	71.640	Template:Bartable
29	New Zealand	71.631	Template:Bartable
30	Bulgaria	71.459	Template:Bartable
31	Russia	71.418	Template:Bartable
32	Slovenia	71.200	Template:Bartable
33	Slovakia	71.060	Template:Bartable
34	Albania	71.019	Template:Bartable
35	Bosnia	71.001	Template:Bartable
36	Switzerland	70.987	Template:Bartable
37	Rep. of Moldova	70.978	Template:Bartable
38	Venezuela	70.788	Template:Bartable
39	Chile	70.593	Template:Bartable
40	Georgia	70.561	Template:Bartable
41	Spain	70.556	Template:Bartable
42	Azerbaijan	70.484	Template:Bartable
43	Hungary	70.443	Template:Bartable
44	Libya	70.429	Template:Bartable
45	Luxembourg	70.270	Template:Bartable
46	Tajikistan	70.234	Template:Bartable
47	Portugal	70.193	Template:Bartable
48	Lithuania	70.153	Template:Bartable
49	Grenada	70.139	Template:Bartable
50	Panama	69.939	Template:Bartable
51	Ireland	69.926	Template:Bartable
52	Canada	69.767	Template:Bartable
53	Jordan	69.649	Template:Bartable
54	St Vincent & Grenadines	69.590	Template:Bartable
55	Belize	69.377	Template:Bartable
56	Poland	69.241	Template:Bartable
57	Macedonia	69.209	Template:Bartable
58	Italy	69.205	Template:Bartable
59	Jamaica	69.064	Template:Bartable
60	Sweden	69.064	Template:Bartable
61	Turkey	69.046	Template:Bartable
62	Cuba	69.037	Template:Bartable
63	Mexico	69.023	Template:Bartable
64	Mongolia	68.910	Template:Bartable
65	Uruguay	68.873	Template:Bartable
66	Belgium	68.801	Template:Bartable
67	Suriname	68.778	Template:Bartable
68	Latvia	68.778	Template:Bartable
69	Norway	68.774	Template:Bartable
70	Netherlands	68.746	Template:Bartable
71	Ukraine	68.674	Template:Bartable
72	Guatemala	68.579	Template:Bartable
73	Saint Lucia	68.438	Template:Bartable
74	Armenia	68.424	Template:Bartable
75	Nicaragua	68.415	Template:Bartable
76	Vanuatu	68.229	Template:Bartable
77	El Salvador	68.220	Template:Bartable
78	Lebanon	68.170	Template:Bartable
79	Ecuador	68.166	Template:Bartable
80	Fiji	68.048	Template:Bartable
81	Bolivia	68.034	Template:Bartable
82	Dominican Rep.	67.993	Template:Bartable
83	Denmark	67.957	Template:Bartable
84	Costa Rica	67.853	Template:Bartable
85	Tunisia	67.726	Template:Bartable
86	Iran	67.608	Template:Bartable
87	Turkmenistan	67.563	Template:Bartable
88	Paraguay	67.445	Template:Bartable
89	Peru	67.440	Template:Bartable
90	Syria	67.422	Template:Bartable
91	Guyana	67.032	Template:Bartable
92	France	66.782	Template:Bartable
93	Estonia	66.732	Template:Bartable
94	Equatorial Guinea	66.451	Template:Bartable
95	Romania	66.401	Template:Bartable
96	Colombia	66.370	Template:Bartable
97	Uzbekistan	66.351	Template:Bartable
98	Kazakhstan	66.265	Template:Bartable
99	Brazil	66.093	Template:Bartable
100	Mauritius	66.052	Template:Bartable
101	Iraq	66.034	Template:Bartable
102	Lesotho	65.966	Template:Bartable
103	Honduras	65.834	Template:Bartable
104	Oman	65.803	Template:Bartable
105	South Africa	65.667	Template:Bartable
106	Kyrgyzstan	65.413	Template:Bartable
107	Botswana	65.045	Template:Bartable
108	Cameroon	64.832	Template:Bartable
109	Morocco	64.764	Template:Bartable
110	South Korea	64.392	Template:Bartable
111	Mauritania	64.179	Template:Bartable
112	Algeria	63.639	Template:Bartable
113	Gabon	62.845	Template:Bartable
114	Ghana	62.491	Template:Bartable
115	Cape Verde	62.296	Template:Bartable
116	Papua New Guinea	62.251	Template:Bartable
117	Eswatini	62.097	Template:Bartable
118	Djibouti	62.015	Template:Bartable
119	Haiti	61.698	Template:Bartable
120	Comoros	61.044	Template:Bartable
121	Zimbabwe	61.022	Template:Bartable
122	Brunei	60.945	Template:Bartable
123	Sierra Leone	60.854	Template:Bartable
124	Nigeria	60.745	Template:Bartable
125	Malaysia	60.682	Template:Bartable
126	China	60.555	Template:Bartable
127	Angola	60.387	Template:Bartable
128	Senegal	60.373	Template:Bartable
129	Benin	60.282	Template:Bartable
130	Mali	60.078	Template:Bartable
131	Yemen	59.802	Template:Bartable
132	Philippines	59.715	Template:Bartable
133	Namibia	59.584	Template:Bartable
134	Sudan	59.407	Template:Bartable
135	Togo	59.280	Template:Bartable
136	Guinea	59.112	Template:Bartable
137	Japan	59.017	Template:Bartable
138	Pakistan	58.976	Template:Bartable
139	Singapore	58.935	Template:Bartable
140	Thailand	58.786	Template:Bartable
141	Côte d'Ivoire	58.727	Template:Bartable
142	Laos	58.436	Template:Bartable
143	Chad	58.196	Template:Bartable
144	Niger	57.933	Template:Bartable
145	Maldives	57.647	Template:Bartable
146	São Tomé and Príncipe	57.561	Template:Bartable
147	Burkina Faso	57.456	Template:Bartable
148	Congo	57.384	Template:Bartable
149	Tanzania	57.293	Template:Bartable
150	Gambia	57.071	Template:Bartable
151	Uganda	57.007	Template:Bartable
152	Afghanistan	56.935	Template:Bartable
153	Malawi	56.681	Template:Bartable
154	Rwanda	56.635	Template:Bartable
155	Myanmar	56.354	Template:Bartable
156	Kenya	56.264	Template:Bartable
157	Guinea-Bissau	56.087	Template:Bartable
158	Mozambique	55.955	Template:Bartable
159	Central African Rep.	55.946	Template:Bartable
160	Zambia	55.910	Template:Bartable
161	Cambodia	55.742	Template:Bartable
162	Liberia	55.533	Template:Bartable
163	Somalia	55.375	Template:Bartable
164	Madagascar	55.157	Template:Bartable
165	Burundi	54.127	Template:Bartable
166	Congo	53.501	Template:Bartable
167	Ethiopia	53.057	Template:Bartable
168	India	52.943	Template:Bartable
169	North Korea	52.589	Template:Bartable
170	Indonesia	52.467	Template:Bartable
171	Eritrea	52.041	Template:Bartable
172	Timor-Leste	51.950	Template:Bartable
173	Bhutan	51.142	Template:Bartable
174	Vietnam	50.725	Template:Bartable
175	Nepal	50.476	Template:Bartable
176	Sri Lanka	50.421	Template:Bartable
177	Bangladesh	49.591	Template:Bartable
—	world average	61.997	Template:Bartable

See also

• Anthropometry
• Bergmann's rule
• Birth weight
• Body mass index (BMI)
• Classification of obesity
• Emaciation
• Hesse's Rule
• History of anthropometry
• Human height
• List of heaviest people
• Obesity
• Overweight
• Set point theory
• Template:Section link
• Thermoregulation in humans
• Underweight
• Weight loss and weight gain
• Weight phobia (disambiguation)
• Exercise paradox

External links

• Template:Commonscatinline