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
In many studies, the women were also asked about their own cup size. In most cases, the answer was only indicative. In some cases, the answers were rather imaginary and often had little to do with the actual size. The most common reason for this is that women often wear a bra that is too small with a correspondingly larger chest band. This is due to financial reasons, especially in poorer countries. In the more developed countries, women are more likely to use the services of specialist shops, which results in an appropriate dimensioning of clothing sizes.
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.
