According to Mexico’s National Chamber for the Clothing Industry (Cámara Nacional de la Industria del Vestido, Conaive), this was an unanswered question prior to a randomized survey of 17,364 individuals carried out by INEGI in 2010-11 in four areas of the country. 49.3% of those measured were men, 50.7% women.
The survey, limited to people over 18 years of age, found that the median height was 165 cm (5’4″) for Mexican males and 158 cm (5’2″) for females. The median weight was 74.8 kg (165 lb) for males and 68.7 kg (151 lb) for females.
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According to Conaive, Mexico was the first Latin American country to carry out a study of the average weight and height of its population.
The study entitled “¿Cuánto mide México? El tamaño sí importa” (“How big is Mexico? Size does matter”) found that among women 18-25 the average weight was 62.9 kg while men in that age group averaged 70.4 kg. The average height for young women was 161 cms versus 167 cms for young men. The heaviest men and women, on average, were in the 40-50 age range. Men in that age category weighed an average of 77.3 kg, while women averaged 72.2 kg.
On average, Mexicans are shorter than their counterparts in the USA and weigh about 10 kilos less.
A 2008 survey in the USA found males over age 20 averaged 176 cm in height and 88.3 kg in weight, compared to 162 cm and 74.7 kg for females. The same data show that those US residents of Mexican origin weigh more than their relatives back home, with men weighing (on average) about 7 kg more, and women 5 kg more.
Update – 2020
This alternative source of data, which gives different figures, is based on a smaller but more recent sample, and is also worth reading. Kudos to “Street Fight HQ” for bringing it to our attention.
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