American women have the second-largest breasts in the world, according to new rankings released this year. The average bra cup size in the U.S. is a C, according to data from the World Population Review, which is based in California, putting the state in second place, in a joint ranking of 108 countries.
The US shares this spot with the UK, Luxembourg and Iceland, which also have an average C cup size.
And first place goes to...Norway!
Norway had the largest breast size, with an average ranging from C to D.
Twenty-three countries — mostly in Africa and Southeast Asia — had the smallest breasts, with the AA cup size. The researchers said countries with more overweight women are more likely to have larger breasts, because breasts are mostly fatty tissue and glands. That makes Norway's position even more unique.
By the same token, there may be a link between women in smaller-breasted areas leading a more active lifestyle, which could reduce body mass and breast size, the researchers say. In the study, the team writes:
“Breast size is unique to each woman and is influenced by several factors, including genetics, nutrition and diet, weight and body mass, activity level, and age. It is important to note that breast size has a close relationship with overall BMI (body mass index), illustrating the fact that extra weight can often be associated with a larger cup size.”
Norway had the largest breast size, but a BMI of 26.2, meaning women there were overweight (BMI 25 to 29.9) and above the healthy limit (BMI 18.5 to 24.9). But they still had larger breasts than women in the US, who had a BMI of 29, and the UK, where the BMI was 27.1 – both higher.
Researchers suggested that this difference could be linked to genetics, with women in Norway being genetically predisposed to having larger breasts.
The data was collected from several small studies that were reviewed by the World Population Review. For comparison, all cup sizes were converted to the American system, which uses the letters A to H to indicate cup size.
The researchers also took data on average BMI (body mass index) from national databases to compare with breast size. They also found that states with higher BMI also tended to have larger breast size in women.
In the data on countries with the largest average breasts and BMI, the US was at the top — followed by the UK, Venezuela and Colombia. The US had a BMI of 29, just below the obesity threshold (30 to 34.9), while the UK had a BMI of 27.1, Venezuela 26.9 and Colombia 26.7. The study did not include all countries in the world.
Nipples that were closer together also received high ratings, as did perky breasts. But size and symmetry didn't seem to be deciding factors.
At the bottom of the scale, the 23 countries with the smallest cup sizes were: India, Pakistan, Mexico, Iran, South Africa, Italy, Algeria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Madagascar, Kazakhstan, Somalia, Ecuador, Cuba, Portugal, Turkmenistan, Libya, Paraguay, Moldova, Cyprus, Belize and the territory of Greenland.
What about Albania?
Let's say we have good news. As you can see below, the B cup is the average: in Albania.
