Here is a fun factoid: The global adult human population has a combined weight of 287,000,000 tons!
I have spent an inordinate amount of time in my life trying to decide how my body measures up. Finally, I have a tool that gives me a straight answer. It is called the global fat scale.
One measure of healthy weight is a the BMI – body mass index. Based on weight and height, BMI is considered an indicator of healthy body weight. The researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine gathered data from 177 countries. The BBC then took that data and used it to create an online calculator that shows you how you measure up against the rest of the world.
The researchers undertook this study because they were concerned about global weight gain. At the end of the study they concluded that global weight gain is a bigger threat to humanity than population growth. The threats are twofold: the implications for health care as people age and the environmental impact of producing so much food.
The way it works is simple. Put in your age, gender, height, weight and nationality. Push the button. The calculator figures out your stats.
I immediately accessed it and am feeling very good about myself, thank you very much! Here is how I measured up:
| Obesity Index | 21 BMI |
| National | You have a lower BMI than 92% of females your age in your country |
| Global | You have a lower BMI than 77% of females your age in the world |
| World Weight Impact | If everyone in the world had the same BMI as you, it would remove 31,173,398 tonnes from the total weight of the world’s population |
| Most like someone from: | Papua New Guinea |
Run your own numbers through the global fat scale calculator here.
