The different size designations and different scales regularly cause confusion. There are at least six different size systems worldwide, all consisting of numbers and similar letters. In addition, there are manufacturers that vary these systems again for their own products. For example, the US size "34C" already corresponds to the UK size 34D and the EU size 75D. It is 90D in France and 12C in Australia. The Czech designation 2D is a little easier to distinguish visually. All these sizes correspond to the same dimensions and therefore lead to mix-ups again and again.
All bra sizes mentioned on this page uniformly refer to US standard sizes.
Incorrect self-assessments
Conversely, it has been repeatedly found that women in the USA often buy conspicuously larger bras with correspondingly smaller chest bands (e.g., 75E instead of 80C). This could be one of the reasons why some surveys have found US women to have large breasts.
Bra size and obesity
Overall, it is striking that increased breast sizes often occur in countries where obesity is also a problem. To illustrate this, the average BMI (body mass index) of women is shown in an additional column of the table.
The female breast consists to a large extent of fatty tissue and glands. The shape of the breasts also depends not only on genetic factors, but also on the fat content and composition of the connective tissue.
Small cup sizes in Africa and Asia
There are various reasons for the striking regional distribution, especially of small sizes, in Central Africa and Southeast Asia. On the one hand, a genetic cause is often cited. Women in these subcontinents are generally smaller and lighter. An average woman in Southeast Asia is about 1.53 m tall and weighs less than 55 kilos. In Central Africa, women with less than 1.60 m and less than 60 kilograms are also daintier than the global average. This alone leads to a connection to the then logically smaller breasts with the same body proportions.
In addition, a further climate connection is assumed. In particularly hot regions, the body consumes far greater amounts of energy to cool itself and keep the body's functions in balance. The breast consists for the most part of fatty tissue, i.e., the body's own energy store. If the energy is quickly withdrawn from the body, no fat tissue can form.
Database and sources
There are numerous listings on the internet that illustrate the bra and breast sizes by country. Unfortunately, almost all of them are based on a single evaluation at the (currently no longer available) website targetmap.com, which appeared in 2010. Only "yarkko" has been mentioned as the author and its sources are not named. Another study from 2013 (only accessible with a login) was allegedly published in the "Journal of Female Health Science." However, none of the authors, nor the journal itself, are known anywhere. What is particularly striking here is the enormous size data for the USA. The truth of the content can therefore be doubted, at least in part.
The statistics on this page are based on several dozen sources — including these two — although the obviously exaggerated figures for about a dozen countries were not evaluated. In addition, further independent surveys were included here. In order to arrive at an internationally comparable volume of data at all, it was also necessary to include manufacturer data on their sales figures per individual size.
Nearly all sources have the fact that they are hardly comprehensible and partly contradict each other in common. The problem also arises that cross sizes (e.g. 70C, 75B, 80A) are often perceived as suitable, but do not correspond to the actual cup size.
This evaluation cannot and should not be scientifically reliable, but only offers an approximate international comparison.
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details. Breast size is unique to each woman and is influenced by several factors, including genetics, nutrition and diet, weight and body mass index(BMI), fitness level, and age. A woman’s breast size is not constant and often varies depending on her menstrual cycle and whether she is pregnant or nursing. Arguably the best way to determine the average breast size in a country is to examine the sales numbers for the
various sizes of bra being sold.How to measure breast (and bra) size
While there are at least six different bra-sizing systems in use worldwide (the easiest example being that some countries use inches, such as 34C, and other countries measure in centimeters, such as 70C), bra sizes are generally expressed by cup sizes.
As a rule, the number represents the horizontal measurement around the "band" or “underbust" area just underneath the breasts. To determine cup size, fitters measure around the fullest part of the breast (typically in line with the nipples) and compare that to the underbust. The greater the difference between these measurements, the larger the cup size. These measurements are usually expressed in letters, with A cups being the smallest and moving upward through the alphabet to D (or higher) from there.
In some systems, additional variations within the cup sizes are noted by levels ranging from 5 to 1. Bra sizes in such a system would range from DD-5 at the largest size to A-1 at the smallest size. Repeated letters are also used at times, especially at each end of the measurement spectrum. For instance, there may be an AA size that is smaller than A, and an AAA that is smaller still. Conversely, D may be followed by the increasingly larger DD and DDD.
Finally, bra sizes may differ from one manufacturer to another even in the same country. As such, instead of simply assuming that a new 34B (for example) in one brand will match the 34B one is already wearing from another brand, it is wise to know one's measurements in inches and look up the corresponding size on the new bra maker's chart.
Breast sizes around the world
The most comprehensive available data on breast size around the globe indicates that the average cup size varies from a low of AA to a high of C, depending upon the country.
Top 11 countries with the largest average breast sizes (and average BMI):
- United States - C (29.0)
- United Kingdom - C (27.1)
- Venezuela - B-C (26.9)
- Colombia - B-C (26.7)
- Sweden - B-C (25.4)
- Netherlands - B-C (25.3)
- Canada - B-C (26.7)
- Georgia - B (27.7)
- Australia - B (26.8)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina - B (25.3)
- Switzerland - B (23.8)
It is noteworthy that breast size correlates quite closely with overall BMI, illustrating the fact that additional weight can often be accompanied by a larger cup size.
Also notable is the fact that this data set does not include every country in the world. For example, Norway was left out of the data set, so it does not appear. If it did, it could possibly appear alongside fellow Nordic countries Sweden, the Netherlands, and Switzerland in the top 10.
Overall, the largest breast sizes are concentrated in Europe and the United States. The smallest breast sizes are concentrated in African and southeast Asian countries. Experts suggest this is due largely to both genetics, as the women in these regions tend to be smaller overall, and to the fact that the women of these areas often live more active lifestyles, which can decrease both body mass and breast size.
Breast Size by Country 2023
Breast Size by Country 2023
- International breast cup size chart
- Average breast size worldwide