Is BMI accurate for Indians?

BMI is a rough screening tool. Indian Council of Medical Research suggests a stricter overweight cut-off of 23 (vs WHO's 25) because South Asians develop metabolic risk at lower BMIs.

Does BMI apply to children?

No, child BMI must be interpreted against age- and sex-specific percentile charts, not the adult cut-offs.

Why is my BMI high if I'm muscular?

BMI counts muscle and fat the same way. Athletes can land in the 'overweight' band without excess body fat. Combine BMI with waist circumference and body-fat percentage for a fuller picture.

What's a healthy waist circumference?

For Indians, waist > 90 cm (men) or > 80 cm (women) is considered abdominal obesity and an independent metabolic risk factor regardless of BMI.

BMI Calculator — CalculatorDesk

Name: BMI Calculator
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.8 (1250 reviews)
Author: CalculatorDesk

What is BMI?

BMI is a screening number — weight divided by height squared. It does not measure body fat directly and can over- or under-state risk for very muscular or very lean people, but for most adults it's a useful first indicator of weight category.

Formula

Metric:    BMI = weight (kg) / height (m)²
Imperial:  BMI = (weight (lb) × 703) / height (in)²

WHO categories:
   < 18.5  Underweight
 18.5-24.9 Normal
 25.0-29.9 Overweight
   ≥ 30.0  Obese

How to use this calculator

Pick your unit system, enter height and weight, and the BMI updates live. Note: South Asians (including Indians) carry higher body fat at the same BMI than Europeans, so Indian health authorities sometimes recommend a stricter "overweight" cut-off of 23.

BMI Calculator

What is BMI?

Formula

How to use this calculator

Frequently asked questions

Related calculators