INFOGRAPHIC

BMI Chart: Body Mass Index Ranges

Reviewed by Claudia Levi, R.N.
October 01, 2024
BMI Ranges for Adults  BMI / Weight Status: Below 18.5 / Underweight  18.5 – 24.9 / Healthy Weight  25.0 – 29.9 / Overweight  30.0 – 34.9 / Obese Class 1  35.0 – 39.9 / Obese Class 2  40.0 and higher / Obese Class 3  Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 

Body mass index (BMI) is an estimate of body fat percentage. It may be used to screen for the risk of certain health conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.

How Do You Calculate BMI?

Start by measuring your height and weighing yourself.

Adult BMI is calculated by taking your weight and dividing it by your height squared. This may seem complicated, but there are many online calculators that do the math for you. For example, this BMI calculator by the CDC is easy to use. You just enter your weight and height.

Once you know your BMI, find your range in the chart above.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these are the adult BMI ranges:

  • Below 18.5 is considered underweight
  • 18.5 – 24.9 is considered healthy or normal weight
  • 25 – 29.9 is considered overweight
  • 30 and above is considered obese

What Does BMI Mean?

A high BMI can mean high body fat, and a low BMI can mean low body fat. BMI can be a useful screening tool for adults, since higher body fat can mean higher risk of certain health problems.

But BMI has limitations. For example, it may overestimate body fat in athletic people with a lot of muscle, and it may underestimate body fat in older people who’ve lost muscle.

Healthy BMI ranges can also vary between different racial and ethnic groups. And for some people, getting into the healthy BMI range may not be realistic.

BMI may help your doctor understand if you could be at risk of certain health problems. But BMI doesn’t diagnose any health condition. Additional screening and/or tests would be needed to get the full picture of your health.

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