What Is the Average Bra Size in the UK?

The figures you will see

• 36DD is the size most often given as the UK average in press coverage, generally attributed to retailers' sales data and customer surveys.
• 34B rising to 36DD is a commonly repeated account of how the best-selling size has changed over several decades.
• 34DD was the most common self-reported size among the 45 participants in a University of Portsmouth fitting study published in 2012.

We have not found a large, representative study that measured UK women and reported an average fitted size. Treat every figure above as an indication.

Why sales data is not an average body

It records what was bought

A best-selling size tells you which label left the shop most often. Research suggests a large share of women wear a size that does not fit them, most often with the band too big and the cup too small. If that is so, the best-selling size is shifted towards bigger bands and smaller cups than the population would wear if fitted well.

It depends on what the shop stocks

A retailer whose range runs from 32A to 40E can only sell sizes within it. Someone who needs a 30F buys elsewhere or buys the nearest thing on the rail. Either way, their real size does not appear in that retailer's figures.

"Average" of a two-part size is slippery

A bra size is a band and a cup. The most common band and the most common cup letter do not necessarily occur together, and the mean of several sizes may be a size hardly anyone wears.

Why reported sizes have gone up

• Bodies have changed. Average weight has risen over the decades, which affects both band and cup.
• Ranges have widened. Shops that once stopped at DD now sell to G and beyond, so sizes that were not available are now recorded.
• Fitting has improved in places. When someone moves from a 36C to a better-fitting 32E, the cup letter rises three places with no change in the person.
• Other factors sometimes suggested include wider use of hormonal contraception and HRT, and breast augmentation. Their contribution is hard to quantify.

What a 36DD or a 34DD actually is

Both are medium volumes. A 36DD is a 36-inch ribcage with a 41-inch bust. A 34DD is a 34-inch ribcage with a 39-inch bust. The letters carry a reputation they do not deserve, as explained in what does a 34DD look like?

Why the average does not matter for you

Sizes are spread widely. UK brands make bands from 28 to over 50 and cups from AA to K and beyond, and every one of those sizes exists because people wear it. Whether you are near the middle or far from it has no bearing on what will fit.

What matters is your own two measurements and how a bra sits on you. Start with the calculator. If you are curious about how sizes compare in real volume, see what cup size is considered large?

Frequently asked questions

What is the average bra size in the UK?

The figure most often quoted is 36DD, with 34DD and 36D also cited. These come from retailers' sales data and surveys, not from measuring a representative sample of women, so they show what is most often bought, not what would fit.

Has the average bra size increased?

Reported sizes have gone up. Retailers have said their best-selling size moved from around 34B to around 36DD over a few decades. Part of that reflects changes in body size, and part reflects wider size ranges and better fitting, which move people into larger cup letters.

Is my bra size normal?

Yes. UK brands make sizes from 28AA to beyond 40K because people need them. Being far from the "average" is common and says nothing about your health.