Health & Body Tables
BMI Chart: Weight Ranges by Height
A BMI chart converts a height and a weight into a single number, and then sorts that number into a category. The arithmetic is trivial — weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared — but the chart is useful because it inverts the formula: instead of computing a BMI, you look up the weight range that corresponds to a healthy one at your height.
The thresholds come from the World Health Organization and have been stable since the 1990s: under 18.5 is underweight, 18.5 to 24.9 is normal, 25 to 29.9 is overweight, and 30 and above is obesity, subdivided into three classes. The table below uses the exact boundaries, so a weight that lands precisely on 25.0 appears in the overweight column, not the normal one.
BMI is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. It cannot tell muscle from fat, it does not account for where fat is stored, and it was derived from population data rather than from individuals. A trained athlete and a sedentary person of the same height and weight can share a BMI of 27 and have very different health risks. The chart is most useful as a first pass and least useful as a verdict.
Adult BMI categories (WHO classification)
| Category | BMI range | Typical reading |
|---|---|---|
| Underweight | Below 18.5 | Below 18.5 |
| Normal weight | 18.5 to 24.9 | 18.5 – 24.9 |
| Overweight | 25.0 to 29.9 | 25.0 – 29.9 |
| Obesity class I | 30.0 to 34.9 | 30.0 – 34.9 |
| Obesity class II | 35.0 to 39.9 | 35.0 – 39.9 |
| Obesity class III | 40.0 and above | 40.0+ |
These cut-offs apply to adults 20 and over. Children and teenagers use age- and sex-specific percentile charts instead.
Weight at each BMI threshold, in pounds
| Height | BMI 18.5 | BMI 25.0 | BMI 30.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4′ 10″ | 89 | 120 | 144 |
| 4′ 11″ | 92 | 124 | 149 |
| 5′ 0″ | 95 | 128 | 154 |
| 5′ 1″ | 98 | 132 | 159 |
| 5′ 2″ | 101 | 137 | 164 |
| 5′ 3″ | 104 | 141 | 169 |
| 5′ 4″ | 108 | 146 | 175 |
| 5′ 5″ | 111 | 150 | 180 |
| 5′ 6″ | 115 | 155 | 186 |
| 5′ 7″ | 118 | 160 | 192 |
| 5′ 8″ | 122 | 164 | 197 |
| 5′ 9″ | 125 | 169 | 203 |
| 5′ 10″ | 129 | 174 | 209 |
| 5′ 11″ | 133 | 179 | 215 |
| 6′ 0″ | 136 | 184 | 221 |
| 6′ 1″ | 140 | 189 | 227 |
| 6′ 2″ | 144 | 195 | 234 |
| 6′ 3″ | 148 | 200 | 240 |
| 6′ 4″ | 152 | 205 | 246 |
The middle column is the top of the normal range; the right column is where obesity begins. Between them is overweight.
Weight at each BMI threshold, in kilograms
| Height | BMI 18.5 | BMI 25.0 | BMI 30.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4′ 10″ | 40.2 | 54.3 | 65.1 |
| 4′ 11″ | 41.5 | 56.1 | 67.4 |
| 5′ 0″ | 43 | 58.1 | 69.7 |
| 5′ 1″ | 44.4 | 60 | 72 |
| 5′ 2″ | 45.9 | 62 | 74.4 |
| 5′ 3″ | 47.4 | 64 | 76.8 |
| 5′ 4″ | 48.9 | 66.1 | 79.3 |
| 5′ 5″ | 50.4 | 68.1 | 81.8 |
| 5′ 6″ | 52 | 70.3 | 84.3 |
| 5′ 7″ | 53.6 | 72.4 | 86.9 |
| 5′ 8″ | 55.2 | 74.6 | 89.5 |
| 5′ 9″ | 56.8 | 76.8 | 92.1 |
| 5′ 10″ | 58.5 | 79 | 94.8 |
| 5′ 11″ | 60.2 | 81.3 | 97.6 |
| 6′ 0″ | 61.9 | 83.6 | 100.3 |
| 6′ 1″ | 63.6 | 86 | 103.1 |
| 6′ 2″ | 65.4 | 88.3 | 106 |
| 6′ 3″ | 67.1 | 90.7 | 108.9 |
| 6′ 4″ | 68.9 | 93.2 | 111.8 |
Same thresholds, metric units. Rounded to 0.1 kg.
How to Use These Tables
- Find your height in the left column, then read across. If your weight is between the 18.5 and 25 columns, your BMI is in the normal range.
- Convert a metric weight to pounds by multiplying by 2.2046, or read the kilograms table directly.
- For a height not listed — under 4′10″ or over 6′4″ — use the calculator, because the range of the table is set by where the cut-offs change fastest.
- Treat a BMI within 1 point of a boundary as inconclusive. Measurement error in height alone can move BMI by half a point.
Common Questions
What is a healthy BMI?
For most adults, 18.5 to 24.9. The range is wide because it is a population range, not an individual target — a BMI of 22 and a BMI of 24.5 carry similar risk for most people.
Does BMI work for athletes?
Poorly. Muscle is denser than fat, so a muscular person can register as overweight while carrying very little fat. Many professional athletes have BMIs in the 27–30 range with body fat under 12%.
Is BMI different for men and women?
The cut-offs are the same, but the interpretation is not. At the same BMI, women typically carry more body fat than men, and fat distribution differs. Some clinicians use sex-specific adjustments; the WHO thresholds do not.
What about waist circumference?
Waist circumference catches the risk BMI misses. A raised waist — above 94 cm (37 in) for men or 80 cm (31.5 in) for women — indicates central fat even when BMI is normal, and central fat is the more predictive measure for cardiovascular risk.
Should older adults use a different BMI range?
Some geriatric guidance suggests a slightly higher optimal range, around 23–27, because low body weight in older age is associated with frailty and loss of muscle. The WHO adult cut-offs remain the default for public health reporting.
Sources
- Body Mass Index (BMI) — About Adult BMI — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Obesity and overweight — fact sheet — World Health Organization
- Waist circumference and waist–hip ratio: report of a WHO expert consultation — World Health Organization
Filed with Health calculations.