Active and athletic women
Women who lift weights, row or play sports with a lot of muscle mass can have a BMI of 25–27 with a lean physique. If that is you, a waist measurement under half your height and a healthy body-fat reading are better guides than BMI. On the other hand, endurance athletes with a BMI under 18.5 should watch for missed periods and low bone density, which can signal under-fuelling.
Ethnicity and female BMI
Women of South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean background develop type 2 diabetes at a lower BMI on average. UK guidance therefore treats a BMI of 23 as the start of overweight and 27.5 as the start of obesity for these groups. Tick the background box in the calculator to apply these lower cut-offs.
Healthy weight in kilograms by height
The weight in kg at the bottom (BMI 18.5) and top (BMI 24.9) of the healthy range, and where obesity begins (BMI 30):
| Height | BMI 18.5 | BMI 24.9 | BMI 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 cm | 41.6 kg | 56.0 kg | 67.5 kg |
| 155 cm | 44.4 kg | 59.8 kg | 72.1 kg |
| 160 cm | 47.4 kg | 63.7 kg | 76.8 kg |
| 165 cm | 50.4 kg | 67.8 kg | 81.7 kg |
| 170 cm | 53.5 kg | 72.0 kg | 86.7 kg |
| 175 cm | 56.7 kg | 76.3 kg | 91.9 kg |
| 180 cm | 59.9 kg | 80.7 kg | 97.2 kg |
| 185 cm | 63.3 kg | 85.2 kg | 102.7 kg |
| 190 cm | 66.8 kg | 89.9 kg | 108.3 kg |
| 195 cm | 70.3 kg | 94.7 kg | 114.1 kg |