BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a rough estimate of the shape of a human body. It only uses two parameters – height (in centimeters) and weight (in kilograms) – and is therefore far from accurate in determining if a person is overweight or underweight. But it does give a fair estimate, so it is still widely used.
The equation for calculating BMI for adults looks like this:
For British and American people that hasn’t adopted the metric system, the equation looks a little different:
With a BMI of over 25, you are considered overweight by the World Health Organization. And with a BMI under 18.5, you are underweight. Remember though that the equation does not take into account if you have a lot of muscles and/or a lot of fat on your body. The result can therefore be misleading for athletic individuals. But for normally built persons, BMI is a pretty good measure for their weight status.
Here’s the complete list of BMI ranges:
| Category | BMI |
| Very severly underweight | <15 |
| Severly underweight | 15 – 16 |
| Underweight | 16 – 18.5 |
| Normal | 18.5 – 25 |
| Overweight | 25 – 30 |
| Moderately obese | 30 – 35 |
| Severly obese | 35 – 40 |
| Very severly obese | >40 |
You can use this calculator to find out what your BMI is:
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