BMI calculator
Your BMI on Indian or WHO bands, your healthy weight and a waist check.
- Indian or WHO bands
- Healthy weight range
- Waist check
- Target weight
I weigh and I am tall. On bands, my BMI is
22.8
Healthy weight · Indian bands
The bands for your height
| Band | Indian BMI | Indian weight | WHO BMI | WHO weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Underweight | below 18.5 | below 50.4 kg | below 18.5 | below 50.4 kg |
| Healthy | 18.5 to 22.9 | 50.4 kg to 62.6 kg | 18.5 to 24.9 | 50.4 kg to 68.1 kg |
| Overweight | 23 to 24.9 | 62.6 kg to 68.1 kg | 25 to 29.9 | 68.1 kg to 81.7 kg |
| Obesity | 25 or more | 68.1 kg or more | 30 or more | 81.7 kg or more |
Facts checked 18 Oct 2026Your numbers stay on your device
Please note. BMI is a quick screening number, not a diagnosis: it doesn’t see muscle, bone or where fat sits. Talk to a doctor about your own health.
Facts checked 18 Oct 2026Your numbers stay on your device
Please note. BMI is a quick screening number, not a diagnosis: it doesn’t see muscle, bone or where fat sits. Talk to a doctor about your own health.
What moves it most
Add your waist: the waist-to-height ratio shows belly fat, which BMI can miss (keep the waist under half your height).
Your BMI on both bands
The healthy band ends at 23 on Indian bands and at 25 on WHO bands.
- Yours22.8Your BMI
- 18.5Healthy, from
- 23Indian healthy, up to
- 25WHO healthy, up to
South Asians tend to carry more body fat at the same BMI, so Indian bands start earlier.
BMI calculator
Your BMI on Indian or WHO bands, your healthy weight and a waist check.
Your BMI 22.8
With a weight of 62 kg and a height of 165 cm, your BMI is 22.8: healthy weight on Indian bands. The healthy weight for your height is 50.4 kg to 62.6 kg.
- Category (Indian bands)
- Healthy weight
- Healthy weight for your height
- 50.4 kg to 62.6 kg
- To the healthy range
- You are in it
- BMI Prime
- 0.99 (1.00 = top of healthy)
- Ponderal index
- 13.8 kg/m³
Guide
What BMI tells you, and what it doesn’t
BMI (body mass index) is your weight in kilograms divided by your height in metres, squared. It takes ten seconds and needs no lab, which is why doctors use it as a first screen. It can’t tell muscle from fat, it doesn’t know your age or where your fat sits, and it reads the same for a cricketer and a desk worker of the same size. Treat it as a starting point for a conversation, not a verdict.
How to use this tool
- Pick your units: kg and cm, kg with feet and inches (how most of us know our height in India), or pounds.
- Type your weight and height. Decimals are fine: 62.5 kg, 5 ft 5.5 in.
- Choose Indian or WHO bands. If you are South Asian, the Indian bands fit you better.
- Turn on Waist check, Target weight or Under 18 only if you need them.
Indian bands and WHO bands
| Band | Indian (2009 consensus) | WHO |
|---|---|---|
| Underweight | below 18.5 | below 18.5 |
| Healthy | 18.5 to 22.9 | 18.5 to 24.9 |
| Overweight | 23 to 24.9 | 25 to 29.9 |
| Obesity | 25 or more | 30 or more |
Studies across Asia found that South Asians develop diabetes and heart disease at lower BMIs than Europeans, because more of the same weight is fat, often around the belly. The WHO expert consultation (The Lancet, 2004) allowed lower action points for Asians, and the Indian consensus of 2009 (Misra and colleagues) set healthy at 18.5 to 22.9. In January 2025, a group of Indian experts went further: they proposed reading any BMI above 23 together with the waist and health problems, calling it stage 1 obesity when nothing else is wrong and stage 2 when the waist or a related condition is involved. That is why this tool asks about your waist.
The waist check
BMI misses belly fat. Two quick checks catch it:
- Waist-to-height ratio: keep your waist under half your height (a ratio under 0.5). The UK’s NICE recommends this for adults since 2022, and it works across ethnic groups.
- Indian waist cut-offs: about 90 cm for men and 80 cm for women (Indian consensus, 2008–2009).
Measure at the belly button, breathe out gently, keep the tape snug. If your BMI is in range but your waist is not, the waist is the better warning.
A target that is kind to you
Pick a target BMI and the tool shows the weight it means for your height, and how long it takes at about 0.5 kg a week, a pace most doctors call safe and lasting. It never suggests a target below 18.5. Small changes add up: an extra walk after dinner, one less sweet tea, rice measured out instead of heaped.
Ramesh, a shopkeeper in Villupuram
Ramesh is 5 ft 6 in (167.6 cm) and weighs 72 kg: a BMI of 25.6. WHO bands call that overweight; Indian bands call it obesity, since he is past 25. His waist is 94 cm, over half his height and over the 90 cm cut-off, so the tool suggests a check-up rather than a label. His healthy weight is 52 to 64.6 kg. He sets a target of BMI 23, which is 64.6 kg: about 15 weeks at half a kilo a week. His doctor checks his sugar and blood pressure, and they plan the walk-and-rice changes together.
Common mistakes
- Mixing units: typing feet into the centimetre box. Choose “kg · ft and in” if you know your height in feet.
- Weighing at different times: weight swings by a kilo or more in a day. Weigh in the morning, before breakfast.
- Using adult bands for children: under 18, BMI is read on growth charts by age and sex.
- Reading BMI alone: athletes, older people and pregnant women need more than BMI.
Sources
Facts checked 18 Oct 2026WHOAppropriate body-mass index for Asian populations (WHO expert consultation) · The Lancet (PubMed)2004
WHO bands and the lower action points allowed for Asian populations. 10 Jan 2004
JAPIConsensus statement for diagnosis of obesity, abdominal obesity and the metabolic syndrome for Asian Indians (Misra et al.) · Journal of the Association of Physicians of India (PubMed)2009
Indian bands (healthy 18.5–22.9, overweight 23–24.9, obesity 25 or more) and the 90 cm / 80 cm waist cut-offs. Feb 2009
DMSRevised definition of obesity in Asian Indians living in India (Misra et al.) · Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome (PubMed)2025
Reading a BMI above 23 together with the waist and related conditions (stage 1 and stage 2 obesity). Jan 2025
NICEOverweight and obesity management (NG246): identifying and assessing central adiposity · NICE2025
Keep your waist under half your height (a waist-to-height ratio under 0.5), for all ethnicities. 14 Jan 2025, updated 8 Jan 2026
FAQs
What is a healthy BMI for Indians?
18.5 to 22.9 on the Indian bands. WHO bands go up to 24.9, but South Asians tend to carry more body fat at the same BMI, so Indian doctors use 23 as the upper line.
Is BMI accurate for everyone?
No. It doesn’t tell muscle from fat, so very muscular people read high, and older people who have lost muscle can read low. Add your waist for a better picture.
What is a good waist size?
Under half your height (a waist-to-height ratio under 0.5), and for Indians under about 90 cm for men and 80 cm for women.
How do I calculate BMI with feet and inches?
Turn your height into centimetres (feet × 30.48 plus inches × 2.54), then into metres, and divide your weight in kg by that number squared. The tool does this when you choose “kg · ft and in”.
Can children use this BMI calculator?
Turn on Under 18 to see the number, but a child’s BMI is read on growth charts by age and sex, not adult bands. Ask your paediatrician.
How fast should I lose weight?
About 0.5 kg a week is safe and more likely to last. Faster loss is often water and muscle, and it tends to come back.
What is BMI Prime?
Your BMI divided by the top of the healthy band (23 on Indian bands, 25 on WHO bands). Under 1.00 means you are at or below the top of healthy.