The bone mineral density of 575 healthy premenopausal and postmenopausal Chinese women living in Hong Kong and Taiwan was measured by dual X-ray densitometry. After adjusting for age, height and body weight, the bone mineral density for premenopausal and postmenopausal Chinese women living in Hong Kong was found to be not significantly different from that of women living in Taiwan. The variation in bone mineral density with age was very similar in postmenopausal women in both countries. Body weight was a significant predictor of bone mineral density at the hip and spine in both Hong Kong and Taiwan Chinese women, while height was a significant predictor of bone mineral density only in postmenopausal Taiwan Chinese women.