A BMI chart shows the BMI you'd get at every combination of height and weight. Find your height down the left, move across to your weight, and read the number in that square. Blue means underweight, pale sage is the healthy range, and the orange-red squares get deeper the further into overweight and obese you go.
How to read a BMI chart
Every square is a BMI worked out from the height at the start of its row and the weight at the top of its column. You don't need to do any maths. Just find where your two numbers cross.
If your weight falls between two columns, look at both squares either side. The true figure sits somewhere between them. And if you're hovering right on a colour boundary, the calculator will give you the exact value to one decimal place.
On a phone, the chart scrolls sideways. The height column stays put so you don't lose your row.
BMI chart in kilograms and centimetres
| cm \ kg | 40 | 45 | 50 | 55 | 60 | 65 | 70 | 75 | 80 | 85 | 90 | 95 | 100 | 105 | 110 | 115 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 145 cm | 19.0 | 21.4 | 23.8 | 26.2 | 28.5 | 30.9 | 33.3 | 35.7 | 38.0 | 40.4 | 42.8 | 45.2 | 47.6 | 49.9 | 52.3 | 54.7 |
| 150 cm | 17.8 | 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 |
| 155 cm | 16.6 | 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 |
| 160 cm | 15.6 | 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 |
| 165 cm | 14.7 | 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 |
| 170 cm | 13.8 | 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 |
| 175 cm | 13.1 | 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 |
| 180 cm | 12.3 | 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 |
| 185 cm | 11.7 | 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 |
| 190 cm | 11.1 | 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 |
BMI chart in feet and stone
The same chart for anyone who thinks in feet, inches and stone. Weights are whole stones to keep it readable. For every height with the pounds worked out too, see our BMI chart in stone and pounds.
| ft \ st | 6st | 7st | 8st | 9st | 10st | 11st | 12st | 13st | 14st | 15st | 16st | 17st | 18st |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4ft 10in | 17.6 | 20.5 | 23.4 | 26.3 | 29.3 | 32.2 | 35.1 | 38.0 | 41.0 | 43.9 | 46.8 | 49.7 | 52.7 |
| 4ft 11in | 17.0 | 19.8 | 22.6 | 25.4 | 28.3 | 31.1 | 33.9 | 36.8 | 39.6 | 42.4 | 45.2 | 48.1 | 50.9 |
| 5ft 0in | 16.4 | 19.1 | 21.9 | 24.6 | 27.3 | 30.1 | 32.8 | 35.5 | 38.3 | 41.0 | 43.7 | 46.5 | 49.2 |
| 5ft 1in | 15.9 | 18.5 | 21.2 | 23.8 | 26.5 | 29.1 | 31.7 | 34.4 | 37.0 | 39.7 | 42.3 | 45.0 | 47.6 |
| 5ft 2in | 15.4 | 17.9 | 20.5 | 23.0 | 25.6 | 28.2 | 30.7 | 33.3 | 35.8 | 38.4 | 41.0 | 43.5 | 46.1 |
| 5ft 3in | 14.9 | 17.4 | 19.8 | 22.3 | 24.8 | 27.3 | 29.8 | 32.2 | 34.7 | 37.2 | 39.7 | 42.2 | 44.6 |
| 5ft 4in | 14.4 | 16.8 | 19.2 | 21.6 | 24.0 | 26.4 | 28.8 | 31.2 | 33.6 | 36.0 | 38.4 | 40.9 | 43.3 |
| 5ft 5in | 14.0 | 16.3 | 18.6 | 21.0 | 23.3 | 25.6 | 28.0 | 30.3 | 32.6 | 34.9 | 37.3 | 39.6 | 41.9 |
| 5ft 6in | 13.6 | 15.8 | 18.1 | 20.3 | 22.6 | 24.9 | 27.1 | 29.4 | 31.6 | 33.9 | 36.2 | 38.4 | 40.7 |
| 5ft 7in | 13.2 | 15.3 | 17.5 | 19.7 | 21.9 | 24.1 | 26.3 | 28.5 | 30.7 | 32.9 | 35.1 | 37.3 | 39.5 |
| 5ft 8in | 12.8 | 14.9 | 17.0 | 19.2 | 21.3 | 23.4 | 25.5 | 27.7 | 29.8 | 31.9 | 34.1 | 36.2 | 38.3 |
| 5ft 9in | 12.4 | 14.5 | 16.5 | 18.6 | 20.7 | 22.7 | 24.8 | 26.9 | 28.9 | 31.0 | 33.1 | 35.1 | 37.2 |
| 5ft 10in | 12.1 | 14.1 | 16.1 | 18.1 | 20.1 | 22.1 | 24.1 | 26.1 | 28.1 | 30.1 | 32.1 | 34.1 | 36.2 |
| 5ft 11in | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.6 | 17.6 | 19.5 | 21.5 | 23.4 | 25.4 | 27.3 | 29.3 | 31.2 | 33.2 | 35.1 |
| 6ft 0in | 11.4 | 13.3 | 15.2 | 17.1 | 19.0 | 20.9 | 22.8 | 24.7 | 26.6 | 28.5 | 30.4 | 32.3 | 34.2 |
What the colours mean
The bands come from the World Health Organization and are the same ones the NHS uses for adults.
| Category | BMI |
|---|---|
| Underweight | Below 18.5 |
| Healthy weight | 18.5 to 24.9 |
| Overweight | 25 to 29.9 |
| Obese class I | 30 to 34.9 |
| Obese class II | 35 to 39.9 |
| Obese class III | 40 or above |
If your family background is South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean, NICE recommends reading the chart a little differently: overweight from 23 and obesity from 27.5.
Is there a separate BMI chart for women?
No. The chart is the same for women and men, and the numbers in each square don't change. What's different is how much of that weight tends to be fat. Women naturally carry more body fat than men at the same BMI, and hormones shift where it's stored at different stages of life, especially around the menopause.
So the chart gives you the same starting point as anyone else. How you read it is where being a woman comes in, which is why a waist measurement is such a useful second check. There's more on that in our waist-to-height ratio guide.
When a BMI chart gets it wrong
A chart like this is built for adults, and it treats every body of the same height and weight the same. It's less reliable if you:
- are very muscular, because muscle is denser than fat and pushes you up the chart
- are under 18, when BMI has to be compared with other girls of the same age instead
- are over 65, when research suggests a slightly higher BMI may carry less risk
- are pregnant, when weight changes for reasons BMI can't account for
Our guide on whether BMI is accurate for women goes through these in more depth, along with the body fat ranges that fill in the gaps.
Questions people ask
What is a healthy BMI for a woman in the UK?
A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9, the same range the NHS uses for men. If your family background is South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean, NICE advises that overweight starts at 23 rather than 25.
What BMI is classed as obese for a woman?
A BMI of 30 or above, with 40 or above classed as severely obese. For women from the backgrounds listed above, NICE uses 27.5 as the starting point for obesity.
Is the NHS BMI chart different for women?
No. The NHS uses one set of adult BMI categories for everyone aged 18 and over. What differs between women and men is how much of that weight tends to be body fat, which is why a waist measurement is a useful second check.
Between two squares? Get your exact number in a second.
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