BMI visualizer: what your BMI looks like
BMI is weight (kg) divided by height (m) squared. The Body visualizer above turns it into a body shape: slim below 20, average up to 27, heavy above, or athletic if you tick Muscular.
| BMI | WHO category |
|---|---|
| below 18.5 | Underweight |
| 18.5 – 24.9 | Healthy weight |
| 25 – 29.9 | Overweight |
| 30 and above | Obese |
Weight for each BMI band
| Height | Underweight | Healthy | Overweight | Obese |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150 cm (4' 11") | under 42 kg | 42–56 kg | 56–67 kg | 68 kg + |
| 160 cm (5' 3") | under 47 kg | 47–64 kg | 64–77 kg | 77 kg + |
| 170 cm (5' 7") | under 53 kg | 53–72 kg | 72–86 kg | 87 kg + |
| 180 cm (5' 11") | under 60 kg | 60–81 kg | 81–97 kg | 97 kg + |
| 190 cm (6' 3") | under 67 kg | 67–90 kg | 90–108 kg | 108 kg + |
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What BMI can and cannot tell you
BMI is a quick screening number: it relates weight to height and works well for comparing large groups of people. For one individual it is a starting point only. It overestimates body fat in muscular people and underestimates it in older adults who have lost muscle, and it says nothing about where the fat is carried.
Putting the number in context
- For adults of Asian descent, many health bodies use lower cut-offs: overweight from 23 and obese from 27.5.
- For children and teenagers, BMI is compared with growth charts for age and sex, not with the adult bands.
- Waist size is a useful second check: aim for a waist of less than half your height.
- A change of one BMI point is about 3 kg for a person 173 cm tall.
The visualizer shows how the same BMI looks at your height, which is often more informative than the number itself.