Healthy weight range calculator
The WHO healthy BMI band, converted to a weight range at your height. It is a wide, population-level band rather than a target.
Enter your details
Result
These are estimates from population-level equations, not a measurement of you and not medical advice. Individual results vary widely. Talk to a doctor or a registered dietitian before making significant changes to how you eat or train.
How this is calculated
Healthy weight rangedefault
lower = 18.5 × height (m)²
upper = 25.0 × height (m)²
- Source
- WHO, "Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic", Technical Report Series 894, Geneva, 2000.
- Assumes
- That the WHO adult BMI cut-points apply. They were derived largely from European-descent populations.
- Accuracy
- Exact arithmetic given the cut-points. The uncertainty is entirely in the cut-points themselves, which are a screening convention rather than a biological boundary.
Healthy weight range by height
The weight range corresponding to a BMI of 18.5 to 25 at each height. It is a wide population band, and a healthy weight for any individual can sit outside it.
| Height | Lower (BMI 18.5) | Upper (BMI 25) | Midpoint |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 cm | 41.6 kg | 56.3 kg | 48.9 kg |
| 155 cm | 44.4 kg | 60.1 kg | 52.3 kg |
| 160 cm | 47.4 kg | 64 kg | 55.7 kg |
| 165 cm | 50.4 kg | 68.1 kg | 59.2 kg |
| 170 cm | 53.5 kg | 72.2 kg | 62.9 kg |
| 175 cm | 56.7 kg | 76.6 kg | 66.6 kg |
| 180 cm | 59.9 kg | 81 kg | 70.5 kg |
| 185 cm | 63.3 kg | 85.6 kg | 74.4 kg |
| 190 cm | 66.8 kg | 90.3 kg | 78.5 kg |
| 195 cm | 70.3 kg | 95.1 kg | 82.7 kg |
Questions
- Why is the range so wide?
- Because it spans a BMI of 18.5 to 25, and at 175 cm that is about 20 kg. The width is honest: population data does not support a narrower healthy band, and any single number inside it would be arbitrary.
- Is it unhealthy to be outside this range?
- Not necessarily. The range is a screening band derived from population averages. Muscular people commonly sit above it with no excess fat, and plenty of people sit slightly outside it in good health. It flags where a closer look might be worthwhile, nothing more.
- Should I aim for the middle of the range?
- There is no evidence that the midpoint is better than anywhere else in the band. The midpoint is shown because people ask for it, not because it is a target.
- Does this range apply to older adults?
- Less well. Several large analyses find the lowest mortality in older adults sits at a slightly higher BMI than in younger ones, and unintentional weight loss in later life is itself a risk signal. The band is least applicable at the extremes of age.
- How does this differ from an ideal weight calculator?
- This gives a range from a screening standard. Ideal weight equations give a single number from clinical dosing formulas that were never validated as health targets. A range is the more honest answer to "what should I weigh".