BMI Calculator
(Healthy Weight Calculator)
What is BMI (Body Mass Index)?
BMI (Body Mass Index) is a calculation that uses your height and weight to figure out if you currently have a healthy weight for your height.
The below BMI calculator can be used to check the BMI of an adult. Please do not use this calculator for children or pregnant women, as their BMI is calculated differently.
Adult BMI Calculator
BMI Score Meaning
Below 18.5 = Underweight
Between 18.5 – 24.9 = Healthy weight
Between 25 – 29.9 = Overweight
Between 30 – 39.9 = Obese
Over 40 = Morbidly obese
Asian, Black & Middle Eastern BMI
People who have an asian and middle eastern ethnicity are more likely to develop certain long-term health conditions like diabetes. Their BMI ranges may therefore be slightly different.
People from these ethnic backgrounds have:
- An increased risk of developing certain medical conditions if they have a BMI of 23 or above
- A high risk of developing certain medical conditions if they have a BMI of 27.5 or above
How accurate is BMI?
Although the BMI calculation uses your weight to calculate if you are in a healthy weight range, it cannot tell if your weight is coming from your muscles, bones or any excess fat you have. The BMI also does not consider differences in age, gender and muscle mass.
This means that the BMI cannot accurately predict how much excess fat some people have. For example, very muscular people may show up as “overweight” on the BMI score even if they don’t have much excess fat.
Despite this, calculating your BMI is a good starting point for assessing how healthy your weight is. If you have any concerns about your BMI or your weight, you should speak to your family doctor.
Other healthy weight calculations
There are some other calculations that you can use that may be able to give you a more accurate idea of your weight range such as measuring your:
- Waist circumference
- Waist to hip ratio
- Waist to height ratio
Disclaimer
The material and information contained on this website is for general information purposes only. While we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, Gaia Medical makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such material is therefore strictly at your own risk. The information contained within this website is not a substitute for the advice of an appropriately trained and qualified doctor or other healthcare professional.
