🧮 BMI Calculator
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is a measure of whether you’re a healthy weight for your height. You can use the BMI calculator to right, to find out your BMI and match them with BMI ranges and their corresponding weight categories.
| BMI Range | Weight Category |
|---|---|
| Below 18.5 | Underweight |
| 18.5 – 24.9 | Healthy weight |
| 25 – 29.9 | Overweight |
| 30 – 39.9 | Obese |
| 40 and above | Severely obese |
If you have an Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean family background you’ll need to use a lower BMI score to measure overweight and obesity:
23 to 27.4 you’re in the overweight range
27.5 or above you’re in the obese range
BMI score has some limitations because it measures whether a person is carrying too much weight but not too much fat. For example, people who are very muscular, like professional sportspeople, can have a high BMI without much fat. But for most people, BMI is a useful indication of whether they’re a healthy weight.
Waist to height ratio
Another measure of excess fat is waist to height ratio, which can be used as an additional measure in adults who have a BMI under 35.
To calculate your waist to height ratio:
Find the middle point between your lowest rib and your hip bone. This should be roughly level with your belly button.
Wrap the tape measure around this middle point, breathing naturally and not holding your tummy in.
Take your measurement and divide it by your height, measured in the same units (for example, centimetres or inches).
For example, if your waist is 80cm and you are 160cm tall, you would calculate your result like this: 80 divided by 160, which equals 0.5.
A waist to height ratio of 0.5 or higher means you may have increased health risks