BMI ranges for Indians
Indian consensus guidelines and the WHO Asia-Pacific classification use lower cut-offs than the international scale: 18.5–22.9 normal, 23–24.9 overweight and 25 or more obesity. Asian Indians tend to carry more body fat, especially around the abdomen, at the same BMI as Europeans, and develop diabetes at a lower BMI. This calculator applies the Asian ranges automatically.
Waist size for Indian adults
Abdominal fat is common in India even at a normal BMI — sometimes called the “thin-fat” phenotype. Consensus guidance uses a waist above 90 cm for men and above 80 cm for women as a sign of abdominal obesity. Measuring your waist alongside your BMI gives a much better idea of your risk.
The BMI index formula
Body mass index is weight divided by height squared. In metric units that is BMI = kg ÷ m²; in US units it is BMI = 703 × lb ÷ in². A person who is 1.68 m tall and weighs 64 kg has a BMI of 64 ÷ (1.68 × 1.68) = 64 ÷ 2.8224 = 22.7. The same person measured as 5 ft 6 in and 141 lb gets 703 × 141 ÷ 66² = 22.8 — the tiny difference is only rounding in the unit conversion. Because height is squared, a small error in height changes the result more than the same error in weight, so measure height carefully.
Healthy weight in kg on the Asian scale
The weight that gives a BMI from 18.5 to 22.9 at each height, and where obesity begins on the Asian scale (BMI 25):
| Height | BMI 18.5 | BMI 22.9 | BMI 25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 cm | 41.6 kg | 51.5 kg | 56.3 kg |
| 155 cm | 44.4 kg | 55.0 kg | 60.1 kg |
| 160 cm | 47.4 kg | 58.6 kg | 64.0 kg |
| 165 cm | 50.4 kg | 62.3 kg | 68.1 kg |
| 170 cm | 53.5 kg | 66.2 kg | 72.2 kg |
| 175 cm | 56.7 kg | 70.1 kg | 76.6 kg |
| 180 cm | 59.9 kg | 74.2 kg | 81.0 kg |
| 185 cm | 63.3 kg | 78.4 kg | 85.6 kg |
| 190 cm | 66.8 kg | 82.7 kg | 90.3 kg |
| 195 cm | 70.3 kg | 87.1 kg | 95.1 kg |