NICE cut-offs by ethnicity
In 2022, NICE confirmed that people of South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean family background should be considered overweight from a BMI of 23 and obese from 27.5. Tick the background box in the calculator to use these thresholds.
Seeing your GP about BMI
If your BMI is 30 or more (27.5 or more for higher-risk ethnic groups), your GP practice can check your blood pressure, HbA1c and cholesterol and may refer you to a local weight management service. Adults aged 40 to 74 in England are also invited to an NHS Health Check every five years, which includes BMI.
Healthy weight in stones and pounds
For readers who weigh themselves in stones — the healthy BMI range of 18.5 to 24.9 at common heights:
| Height | Healthy weight (BMI 18.5–24.9) | BMI 30 (obesity) from |
|---|---|---|
| 4 ft 10 in | 6 st 5 lb – 8 st 7 lb | 10 st 4 lb |
| 5 ft 0 in | 6 st 11 lb – 9 st 1 lb | 11 st 0 lb |
| 5 ft 2 in | 7 st 3 lb – 9 st 10 lb | 11 st 10 lb |
| 5 ft 4 in | 7 st 10 lb – 10 st 5 lb | 12 st 7 lb |
| 5 ft 6 in | 8 st 3 lb – 11 st 0 lb | 13 st 4 lb |
| 5 ft 8 in | 8 st 10 lb – 11 st 10 lb | 14 st 1 lb |
| 5 ft 10 in | 9 st 3 lb – 12 st 6 lb | 14 st 13 lb |
| 6 ft 0 in | 9 st 10 lb – 13 st 2 lb | 15 st 11 lb |
| 6 ft 2 in | 10 st 4 lb – 13 st 12 lb | 16 st 10 lb |
| 6 ft 4 in | 10 st 12 lb – 14 st 9 lb | 17 st 8 lb |