BMI Chart: Metric and Imperial
Find your BMI in seconds, then read the part most charts leave out — what the number can and cannot tell you.
The categories behind the number
Body mass index is a ratio: weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in metres. It was never designed to measure body fat directly. It was designed to give public-health researchers a cheap, consistent way to compare populations, and it remains useful for exactly that reason — plus as a rough starting point for an individual conversation.
| BMI | Category | What it conventionally indicates |
|---|---|---|
| Below 18.5 | Underweight | Below the range associated with lowest population risk |
| 18.5–24.9 | Normal weight | The reference range for most adults |
| 25.0–29.9 | Overweight | Elevated risk at the population level |
| 30.0–34.9 | Obesity class I | Substantially elevated metabolic and cardiovascular risk |
| 35.0–39.9 | Obesity class II | High risk; clinical assessment recommended |
| 40.0 and above | Obesity class III | Very high risk; specialist care often appropriate |
Source: World Health Organization, Obesity and overweight fact sheet and WHO BMI classification. Categories apply to adults aged 20 and over.
BMI chart: metric
Find your height on the left and your weight along the top. The cell where they meet is your BMI, rounded to one decimal place. Scroll sideways on a phone; the height column stays fixed.
| Height | 45 kg | 50 kg | 55 kg | 60 kg | 65 kg | 70 kg | 75 kg | 80 kg | 85 kg | 90 kg | 95 kg | 100 kg | 105 kg | 110 kg | 115 kg | 120 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 46.7 | 48.9 | 51.1 | 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 | 43.7 | 45.8 | 47.9 | 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 | 41.0 | 43.0 | 44.9 | 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 | 38.6 | 40.4 | 42.2 | 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 | 36.3 | 38.1 | 39.8 | 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 | 34.3 | 35.9 | 37.6 | 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 | 32.4 | 34.0 | 35.5 | 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 | 30.7 | 32.1 | 33.6 | 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 | 29.1 | 30.5 | 31.9 | 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 | 27.6 | 28.9 | 30.2 | 31.6 |
| Height | 100 lb | 110 lb | 120 lb | 130 lb | 140 lb | 150 lb | 160 lb | 170 lb | 180 lb | 190 lb | 200 lb | 210 lb | 220 lb | 230 lb | 240 lb | 250 lb | 260 lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4'11" | 20.2 | 22.2 | 24.2 | 26.3 | 28.3 | 30.3 | 32.3 | 34.3 | 36.4 | 38.4 | 40.4 | 42.4 | 44.4 | 46.5 | 48.5 | 50.5 | 52.5 |
| 5'1" | 18.9 | 20.8 | 22.7 | 24.6 | 26.5 | 28.3 | 30.2 | 32.1 | 34.0 | 35.9 | 37.8 | 39.7 | 41.6 | 43.5 | 45.3 | 47.2 | 49.1 |
| 5'3" | 17.7 | 19.5 | 21.3 | 23.0 | 24.8 | 26.6 | 28.3 | 30.1 | 31.9 | 33.7 | 35.4 | 37.2 | 39.0 | 40.7 | 42.5 | 44.3 | 46.1 |
| 5'5" | 16.6 | 18.3 | 20.0 | 21.6 | 23.3 | 25.0 | 26.6 | 28.3 | 30.0 | 31.6 | 33.3 | 34.9 | 36.6 | 38.3 | 39.9 | 41.6 | 43.3 |
| 5'7" | 15.7 | 17.2 | 18.8 | 20.4 | 21.9 | 23.5 | 25.1 | 26.6 | 28.2 | 29.8 | 31.3 | 32.9 | 34.5 | 36.0 | 37.6 | 39.2 | 40.7 |
| 5'9" | 14.8 | 16.2 | 17.7 | 19.2 | 20.7 | 22.2 | 23.6 | 25.1 | 26.6 | 28.1 | 29.5 | 31.0 | 32.5 | 34.0 | 35.4 | 36.9 | 38.4 |
| 5'11" | 13.9 | 15.3 | 16.7 | 18.1 | 19.5 | 20.9 | 22.3 | 23.7 | 25.1 | 26.5 | 27.9 | 29.3 | 30.7 | 32.1 | 33.5 | 34.9 | 36.3 |
| 6'1" | 13.2 | 14.5 | 15.8 | 17.2 | 18.5 | 19.8 | 21.1 | 22.4 | 23.7 | 25.1 | 26.4 | 27.7 | 29.0 | 30.3 | 31.7 | 33.0 | 34.3 |
| 6'3" | 12.5 | 13.7 | 15.0 | 16.2 | 17.5 | 18.7 | 20.0 | 21.2 | 22.5 | 23.7 | 25.0 | 26.2 | 27.5 | 28.7 | 30.0 | 31.2 | 32.5 |
BMI = weight (kg) ÷ height (m)². Imperial values are converted to metric before calculation, so a row can differ by 0.1 from a hand calculation that rounds the conversion first.
Reading the chart: a worked example
Take a woman who is 168 cm tall and weighs 74 kg.
On the metric chart, find the 170 cm row and move left to the 75 kg column: the cell reads about 26.0. Her exact inputs give 26.2, which is the same category — overweight. The two numbers differ because the chart uses a 170 cm/75 kg grid point, not her exact height and weight.
The same BMI expressed as a healthy weight range for her height is:
That range is more useful than a single "ideal" number because it shows how much room the category allows. A 70 kg woman at this height is at the top of the normal range; a 71 kg woman is just over the line. Neither fact, by itself, says much about her health.
Five situations where BMI misleads
1. High muscle mass
Muscle is denser than fat. A lean, resistance-trained person can land in the overweight category with a low body-fat percentage. BMI cannot distinguish the two tissues.
2. Normal-weight obesity
The opposite also happens: a BMI inside the normal range can coexist with a high body-fat percentage and low muscle mass, particularly in people who have lost weight without resistance training or who are inactive.
3. Fat distribution
Visceral fat around the organs carries more metabolic risk than fat stored at the hips and thighs. Two people with identical BMIs can have very different waist circumferences and very different risk profiles.
4. Age and frailty
In older adults, a slightly higher BMI can reflect preserved muscle and bone rather than excess fat. Unintentional weight loss is often a more important warning sign than a BMI of 26.
5. Ethnicity and ancestry
Risk thresholds differ across populations. The WHO has noted that some Asian populations face elevated risk at lower BMIs, and several health bodies use a 23 kg/m² overweight threshold for South Asian, East Asian and Southeast Asian adults. A single global chart is a compromise.
Better together: pair BMI with waist-to-hip ratio, body-fat percentage and a simple fitness measure. The worked case study shows how four numbers can tell a more honest story than one.
Who this chart is not for
- Children and teenagers — use age- and sex-specific BMI percentiles.
- Pregnant people — weight change is expected and BMI is not interpreted the same way.
- People with significant fluid retention — heart failure, kidney disease and some medications can inflate weight independently of fat.
- Very tall or very short adults — the squared-height denominator can distort BMI at the extremes.
- Amputees and people with altered limb length — standard BMI does not adjust for missing or shortened limbs.
If you fall into one of these groups, treat the chart as background reading rather than a personal assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a BMI of 25 automatically unhealthy?
No. BMI is a population screening tool. A value just over 25 is a prompt to look at waist circumference, body composition, blood pressure and other markers, not a diagnosis.
What is a healthy BMI for a woman?
The standard adult range is 18.5 to 24.9 for both women and men. The range is the same because BMI does not adjust for sex, even though body composition differs on average.
Why does my BMI differ from an online calculator?
Check that both tools use the same height units. Entering 168 cm as 1.68 m or 5 ft 6 in as 66 in should produce the same result. Rounding at intermediate steps can shift the last decimal.
Does BMI measure body fat?
No. It correlates with body fat at the population level but can be badly wrong for an individual, especially athletes and older adults with low muscle mass.
What should I use instead of BMI?
There is no single replacement. Waist-to-height ratio, waist-to-hip ratio, body-fat percentage and fitness measures each capture something BMI misses. Use several.
Is the BMI chart accurate for tall people?
It becomes less reliable at extremes of height because weight scales with volume, not area. Very tall people tend to have higher BMIs at the same body composition.