What is a healthy BMI range for adults?

18.5 – 24.9 kg/m² under the WHO global chart; 18.5 – 22.9 under the Asian-Pacific chart.

Is a BMI of 25 overweight?

Yes, 25.0 is the WHO threshold for overweight. For Asian populations the same threshold is 23.0.

What BMI is considered obese?

30.0 and above (WHO). Class I 30–34.9, Class II 35–39.9, Class III ≥ 40.

Does the BMI chart work for athletes?

Not well — high muscle mass inflates weight without adding fat. Combine BMI with body-fat % and waist-to-height ratio.

Is BMI the same for men and women?

Yes, adult BMI ranges are identical for men and women.

What is a good BMI for seniors (65+)?

A slightly higher target of 24–29 is associated with lower mortality in older adults.

Metric: weight(kg) ÷ height(m)². Imperial: 703 × weight(lb) ÷ height(in)².

Under 18.5 underweight, 18.5–24.9 normal, 25–29.9 overweight, 30+ obese. Asian thresholds are ~2 lower due to different body composition risk.

Is BMI accurate for athletes?

No — muscular athletes often score 'overweight' despite low body fat. Use body-fat percentage or waist-to-height ratio for a truer picture.

Use CDC percentile charts, not adult categories. Under 5th = underweight, 5–85th = healthy, 85–95th = overweight, ≥95th = obese.

Is BMI the best health indicator?

It's a screening tool, not a diagnosis. Waist circumference, blood pressure, lipids and A1C give a fuller cardiometabolic picture.

BMI Calculator

Height (cm)

Weight (kg)

Age

Sex

Waist (cm)

Hip (cm)

BMI

24.2

Normal

New BMI (Trefethen)

24.2

Better for tall/short

1518.5253040

BMI 24.2 — Normal

Normal

Body composition indices

BMI Prime (BMI/25)0.97

Ponderal Index14.25

Body Surface Area (BSA)1.81 m²

Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR)0.86 · Low risk

Waist-to-Height (WHtR)0.48 · Healthy

Healthy weight range53.5 kg – 72.0 kg

Weight to lose (to BMI 24.9)0

Weight to gain (to BMI 18.5)0

WHO categories

Severe thinness< 16

Moderate thinness16 – 16.9

Mild thinness17 – 18.4

Normal18.5 – 24.9

Overweight25 – 29.9

Obese class I30 – 34.9

Obese class II35 – 39.9

Obese class III≥ 40

How to use the BMI Calculator

Choose units — Metric (kg + cm) or Imperial (lb + ft/in).
Enter your current weight and height accurately (recent morning weight is ideal).
Select adult or teen mode — teen uses age- and sex-adjusted percentile charts.
Optionally toggle Asian BMI thresholds (WHO Asia-Pacific: healthy 18.5–22.9).
Read your BMI value and WHO category (underweight, normal, overweight, obese I/II/III).
Check the healthy weight range for your height — a target band, not a single number.
Review BMI Prime (BMI ÷ 25) — how far above/below the upper healthy limit you sit.
Enter waist circumference for waist-to-height ratio — a better single-number risk marker.
For athletes, cross-check with a body fat calculator — muscle inflates BMI.
Save or export the result as PDF/CSV for medical, fitness or coaching review.

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BMI in 2026: still useful, still misunderstood

The Body Mass Index has been the world's simplest weight-status tool since Adolphe Quetelet devised it in the 1830s. It divides your weight by the square of your height and drops you into one of four buckets — underweight, normal, overweight or obese. That simplicity is why every doctor, insurance actuary, and epidemiologist still uses it, and it's also why BMI gets attacked every few years for its blind spots.

The core truth: BMI is a population-level screening tool. Across millions of people, higher BMI correlates with higher risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and all-cause mortality. That correlation holds cleanly between 18.5 and 30. Above 30, risk rises sharply. Below 18.5, mortality risk also rises (partly due to disease-related weight loss). If your job is to screen a nation of 300 million, BMI is fast, cheap and effective.

The obvious weakness: BMI does not measure fat. A 6'0" 220 lb bodybuilder at 8% body fat has a BMI of 30 — obese. A 6'0" 165 lb sedentary office worker at 30% body fat has a BMI of 22 — normal — but is metabolically at higher risk. This is the 'skinny-fat' problem. That is why we pair BMI with body fat, waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio in this calculator.

Modern refinements matter. The WHO Asia-Pacific guideline recognizes that Asian populations develop metabolic disease at lower BMIs, so healthy tops out at 22.9 rather than 24.9. BMI Prime (your BMI ÷ 25) gives a single ratio that scales cleanly for comparison — 0.9 means you're 10% below the upper healthy limit, 1.15 means 15% above. And for anyone under 20, adult BMI is meaningless — pediatric percentile charts are the standard.

Use BMI honestly: as one number in a small dashboard. Track your BMI, your waist circumference, your resting heart rate and your bloodwork together. Any one of them lies; together they don't. Aim for BMI in the healthy range, waist under half your height, and consistent training — that combination outperforms chasing any single target.

BMI Chart — Complete Body Mass Index Reference (2026)

A BMI chart converts your height and weight into a single number that estimates whether your body weight sits in the healthy range for adults. The World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. CDC and the NHS all use the same BMI formula weight (kg) ÷ height (m)² — the only difference is how each authority labels the ranges. Use the interactive chart below to look up your BMI without doing any math, then read the guide to understand what your number actually means for long-term health.

BMI Categories

Category	BMI Range (kg/m²)	Health Risk
Severe Thinness	< 16	Very high
Moderate Thinness	16 – 17	High
Mild Thinness	17 – 18.5	Moderate
Normal	18.5 – 25	Low
Overweight	25 – 30	Increased
Obese Class I	30 – 35	High
Obese Class II	35 – 40	Very high
Obese Class III	≥ 40	Extremely high

The Asian-Pacific cutoffs are recommended by the WHO Expert Consultation (2004) because South, Southeast and East Asian populations show elevated cardiovascular and type-2 diabetes risk at lower BMIs than the global reference.

BMI Chart by Height & Weight

Height ↓ / Weight →	45kg	50kg	55kg	60kg	65kg	70kg	75kg	80kg	85kg	90kg	95kg	100kg	110kg	120kg
150 cm	20.0	22.2	24.4	26.7	28.9	31.1	33.3	35.6	37.8	40.0	42.2	44.4	48.9	53.3
155 cm	18.7	20.8	22.9	25.0	27.1	29.1	31.2	33.3	35.4	37.5	39.5	41.6	45.8	49.9
160 cm	17.6	19.5	21.5	23.4	25.4	27.3	29.3	31.2	33.2	35.2	37.1	39.1	43.0	46.9
165 cm	16.5	18.4	20.2	22.0	23.9	25.7	27.5	29.4	31.2	33.1	34.9	36.7	40.4	44.1
170 cm	15.6	17.3	19.0	20.8	22.5	24.2	26.0	27.7	29.4	31.1	32.9	34.6	38.1	41.5
175 cm	14.7	16.3	18.0	19.6	21.2	22.9	24.5	26.1	27.8	29.4	31.0	32.7	35.9	39.2
180 cm	13.9	15.4	17.0	18.5	20.1	21.6	23.1	24.7	26.2	27.8	29.3	30.9	34.0	37.0
185 cm	13.1	14.6	16.1	17.5	19.0	20.5	21.9	23.4	24.8	26.3	27.8	29.2	32.1	35.1
190 cm	12.5	13.9	15.2	16.6	18.0	19.4	20.8	22.2	23.5	24.9	26.3	27.7	30.5	33.2
195 cm	11.8	13.1	14.5	15.8	17.1	18.4	19.7	21.0	22.4	23.7	25.0	26.3	28.9	31.6

Cell color reflects the WHO global category. Hover / tap a cell to see the exact BMI value.

BMI Chart for Children & Teens (Ages 2–19)

A child's BMI is interpreted as a percentile against age- and sex-matched CDC growth reference data — not the fixed adult cutoffs above. The same BMI number means very different things at age 5 versus age 15.

Weight Status	BMI Percentile (CDC)
Underweight	< 5th percentile
Healthy Weight	5th – 84th percentile
Overweight	85th – 94th percentile
Obesity	≥ 95th percentile
Severe Obesity	≥ 120% of 95th percentile

How to Read a BMI Chart (and Where It Breaks Down)

The BMI chart was created in the 1830s by Belgian statistician Adolphe Quetelet as a way to describe the "average man" in population studies — not to diagnose individuals. It became the global standard because it needs only two inputs almost every clinic already records: height and weight. That simplicity is both its strength and its most cited weakness.

To use the chart, find your height in the left column and slide right until you reach your weight — the cell shows your BMI and its category color. A BMI of 18.5–24.9 falls inside the WHO "Normal" band, associated in large cohort studies (over 10.6 million adults, Lancet 2016) with the lowest all-cause mortality risk. Below 18.5, risk of osteoporosis, anemia and immune dysfunction climbs; above 25, risk of type-2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers begins to rise, sharply after 30.

Where the chart lies to you. BMI does not distinguish muscle from fat, so a lean rugby player and a sedentary office worker of the same height and weight share the same "overweight" BMI despite completely different body composition. It also ignores fat distribution — visceral (belly) fat drives metabolic disease far more than subcutaneous fat on hips or thighs. Two adults with a BMI of 27 can have wildly different waist-to-height ratios and cardiovascular risk. For older adults (65+), a slightly higher BMI (24–29) is associated with lower mortality, likely because it buffers against sarcopenia and illness-related weight loss.

Better together. Pair the BMI chart with a waist measurement (keep it under half your height in the same units — a "waist-to-height < 0.5" rule), a body-fat estimate (US Navy tape method or a DEXA scan), and a resting blood-pressure reading. If three of those four sit in the healthy zone, a borderline BMI category is usually not a medical concern. If your BMI is 30+and your waist-to-height is above 0.6, the metabolic risk is real regardless of how you feel.

Ethnicity matters. The WHO's 2004 review confirmed that the same BMI represents higher body-fat percentage in South Asian, Chinese and Southeast Asian populations, so overweight begins at 23 and obesity at 27.5 — the "Asian-Pacific" chart above. Conversely, people of Polynesian descent typically carry more lean mass, so their risk cutoffs sit slightly higher than the global average. If a chart looks "off" for your background, switch tables above.

What to do with your number. Treat the BMI chart as a screening tool, not a verdict. A single reading in a new category is not an emergency; a slow drift across two categories over 12–24 months is a signal worth acting on. Aim for a weight change of no more than 0.5–1% of body weight per week — faster loss usually costs muscle. Rechart every 4–6 weeks (same time of day, same scale) so you can see the trend rather than daily noise.

BMI Chart — Frequently Asked Questions

What is a healthy BMI range for adults?: 18.5 – 24.9 kg/m² under the WHO global chart; 18.5 – 22.9 under the Asian-Pacific chart. This range is linked with the lowest all-cause mortality in large cohort studies.
Is a BMI of 25 overweight?: Yes, 25.0 is the threshold where the WHO chart moves from "Normal" to "Overweight". For Asian populations the same threshold is 23.0.
What BMI is considered obese?: 30.0 and above (WHO). Obesity is further split into Class I (30–34.9), Class II (35–39.9) and Class III / severe (≥ 40).
Does the BMI chart work for athletes?: Not well — high muscle mass inflates weight without adding fat. Athletes should combine BMI with body-fat % (DEXA, BodPod or US Navy tape) and waist-to-height ratio.
How often should I recheck my BMI?: Once a month at the same time of day, on the same scale, is enough for adults. Children should be measured by a pediatrician against age-and-sex growth curves.
Is BMI the same for men and women?: Yes — adult BMI ranges are identical for men and women. Body-fat percentage cutoffs differ by sex, but the BMI chart itself does not.
What is a good BMI for seniors (65+)?: Emerging evidence suggests a slightly higher target of 24–29 for adults over 65, because a small BMI reserve reduces mortality risk from illness and sarcopenia.

BMI Calculator

How to use the BMI Calculator

Choose units — Metric (kg + cm) or Imperial (lb + ft/in).
Enter your current weight and height accurately (recent morning weight is ideal).
Select adult or teen mode — teen uses age- and sex-adjusted percentile charts.
Optionally toggle Asian BMI thresholds (WHO Asia-Pacific: healthy 18.5–22.9).
Read your BMI value and WHO category (underweight, normal, overweight, obese I/II/III).
Check the healthy weight range for your height — a target band, not a single number.
Review BMI Prime (BMI ÷ 25) — how far above/below the upper healthy limit you sit.
Enter waist circumference for waist-to-height ratio — a better single-number risk marker.
For athletes, cross-check with a body fat calculator — muscle inflates BMI.
Save or export the result as PDF/CSV for medical, fitness or coaching review.

BMI in 2026: still useful, still misunderstood

Height (cm)

Weight (kg)

Age

Sex

Waist (cm)

Hip (cm)

BMI

24.2

Normal

New BMI (Trefethen)

24.2

Better for tall/short

1518.5253040

BMI 24.2 — Normal

Normal

Body composition indices

BMI Prime (BMI/25)0.97

Ponderal Index14.25

Body Surface Area (BSA)1.81 m²

Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR)0.86 · Low risk

Waist-to-Height (WHtR)0.48 · Healthy

Healthy weight range53.5 kg – 72.0 kg

Weight to lose (to BMI 24.9)0

Weight to gain (to BMI 18.5)0

WHO categories

Severe thinness< 16

Moderate thinness16 – 16.9

Mild thinness17 – 18.4

Normal18.5 – 24.9

Overweight25 – 29.9

Obese class I30 – 34.9

Obese class II35 – 39.9

Obese class III≥ 40

BMI Chart — Complete Body Mass Index Reference (2026)

BMI Categories

Category	BMI Range (kg/m²)	Health Risk
Severe Thinness	< 16	Very high
Moderate Thinness	16 – 17	High
Mild Thinness	17 – 18.5	Moderate
Normal	18.5 – 25	Low
Overweight	25 – 30	Increased
Obese Class I	30 – 35	High
Obese Class II	35 – 40	Very high
Obese Class III	≥ 40	Extremely high

BMI Chart by Height & Weight

Height ↓ / Weight →	45kg	50kg	55kg	60kg	65kg	70kg	75kg	80kg	85kg	90kg	95kg	100kg	110kg	120kg
150 cm	20.0	22.2	24.4	26.7	28.9	31.1	33.3	35.6	37.8	40.0	42.2	44.4	48.9	53.3
155 cm	18.7	20.8	22.9	25.0	27.1	29.1	31.2	33.3	35.4	37.5	39.5	41.6	45.8	49.9
160 cm	17.6	19.5	21.5	23.4	25.4	27.3	29.3	31.2	33.2	35.2	37.1	39.1	43.0	46.9
165 cm	16.5	18.4	20.2	22.0	23.9	25.7	27.5	29.4	31.2	33.1	34.9	36.7	40.4	44.1
170 cm	15.6	17.3	19.0	20.8	22.5	24.2	26.0	27.7	29.4	31.1	32.9	34.6	38.1	41.5
175 cm	14.7	16.3	18.0	19.6	21.2	22.9	24.5	26.1	27.8	29.4	31.0	32.7	35.9	39.2
180 cm	13.9	15.4	17.0	18.5	20.1	21.6	23.1	24.7	26.2	27.8	29.3	30.9	34.0	37.0
185 cm	13.1	14.6	16.1	17.5	19.0	20.5	21.9	23.4	24.8	26.3	27.8	29.2	32.1	35.1
190 cm	12.5	13.9	15.2	16.6	18.0	19.4	20.8	22.2	23.5	24.9	26.3	27.7	30.5	33.2
195 cm	11.8	13.1	14.5	15.8	17.1	18.4	19.7	21.0	22.4	23.7	25.0	26.3	28.9	31.6

Cell color reflects the WHO global category. Hover / tap a cell to see the exact BMI value.

BMI Chart for Children & Teens (Ages 2–19)

Weight Status	BMI Percentile (CDC)
Underweight	< 5th percentile
Healthy Weight	5th – 84th percentile
Overweight	85th – 94th percentile
Obesity	≥ 95th percentile
Severe Obesity	≥ 120% of 95th percentile

How to Read a BMI Chart (and Where It Breaks Down)

BMI Chart — Frequently Asked Questions

What is a healthy BMI range for adults?: 18.5 – 24.9 kg/m² under the WHO global chart; 18.5 – 22.9 under the Asian-Pacific chart. This range is linked with the lowest all-cause mortality in large cohort studies.
Is a BMI of 25 overweight?: Yes, 25.0 is the threshold where the WHO chart moves from "Normal" to "Overweight". For Asian populations the same threshold is 23.0.
What BMI is considered obese?: 30.0 and above (WHO). Obesity is further split into Class I (30–34.9), Class II (35–39.9) and Class III / severe (≥ 40).
Does the BMI chart work for athletes?: Not well — high muscle mass inflates weight without adding fat. Athletes should combine BMI with body-fat % (DEXA, BodPod or US Navy tape) and waist-to-height ratio.
How often should I recheck my BMI?: Once a month at the same time of day, on the same scale, is enough for adults. Children should be measured by a pediatrician against age-and-sex growth curves.
Is BMI the same for men and women?: Yes — adult BMI ranges are identical for men and women. Body-fat percentage cutoffs differ by sex, but the BMI chart itself does not.
What is a good BMI for seniors (65+)?: Emerging evidence suggests a slightly higher target of 24–29 for adults over 65, because a small BMI reserve reduces mortality risk from illness and sarcopenia.

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