Calculate Your Body Mass Index - BMI Calculator
Calculate your body mass index (BMI) with our easy-to-use BMI calculator. Find out if you're underweight, normal, overweight, or obese.
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What is Body Mass Index (BMI)?
Body Mass Index, abbreviated as BMI, is a measure that indicates the ratio of a person's weight in kilograms to the square of their height in meters. It is usually expressed in the unit: kg/m². Body Mass Index is an indicator of body fat and body shape of a person, and high or low BMIs can be an indication of high body fat or low body fat. BMI is an important health indicator for children and adults alike.
Significance of BMI - Meaning of BMI Index
BMI is an indicator of a person's body weight with respect to their height and is a single measure of a person's body fat levels. As a result, it plays an important role in indicating the body fitness and the amount of fat in a person's body.
BMI helps to assess the health risk of a person with respect to their body fat levels. For example, a high BMI indicates that a person's body has high fat levels, which means they have health risks associated with high fat levels in the body such as Coronary Heart Diseases (CHDs), Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol levels in the body etc.
Similarly, a low BMI indicates that the person has low body fat with respect to their height which can be associated with a variety of other body conditions such as malnutrition etc.
How to Calculate BMI?
The calculation of one's BMI is really easy, all you need is 2 figures: Body weight and Height.
BMI = Weight (kg) ÷ (Height in Meter)²
Limitations of BMI as a Measure of Health
As an indicator, the BMI is not completely void of limitations and has its own shortcomings as well. For example, the BMI is overly simplistic in that it solely depends on two factors - weight and height, and ignores a number of other factors such as:
- The muscle concentration in the body of the person
- Gender, for e.g. body fat levels are normally higher for women than men
- The health condition of the person, e.g. pregnancy etc
BMI for Adults
The BMI range of adults (above age 20) on an average basis, irrespective of sex is given here:
| BMI Range (In kg/m²) | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| Less than 18.50 | Underweight |
| 18.50 - 24.99 | Normal Healthy Weight Range |
| 25.00 - 29.99 | Overweight |
| Above 30 | Obese |
BMI for Children
Given below are the BMI Percentile comparison categories for children and teenagers aged 2 years to 20 years.
| BMI Percentile Range | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| Below 5th Percentile | Underweight |
| 5th to 85th Percentile | Normal Weight Range |
| 85th to 95th Percentile | Overweight |
| Above 95th Percentile | Obese |