BMI calculator

Your BMI (body mass index) compares your weight with your height. Enter them with your age and see your BMI, what it means and which weight counts as healthy for your height. For adults and for children from age 2.

Units

kg, cmlb, ft, in

Age

years

Height

Weight

Your BMI

23.7

Healthy weight

Healthy weight for your height: 59 – 79 kg

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What does your BMI mean?

For adults aged 19 to 69, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Dutch Nutrition Centre use the same ranges. From age 70, the Nutrition Centre treats a BMI of 22 to 28 as a healthy weight; there are no official ranges for that age. Children and teens have ranges per age, further down this page.

BMI classes for adults
BMI	Meaning
below 18.5	Underweight
18.5 to 25	Healthy weight
25 to 30	Overweight
30 and above	Obesity

How to calculate your BMI

BMI = weight (kg) / (height (m) × height (m))

Example: you weigh 75 kg and are 1.78 m tall. Then your BMI is 75 / (1.78 × 1.78) = 75 / 3.17 = 23.7. That is a healthy weight. A healthy weight for 1.78 m is between 18.5 × 3.17 = 59 kg and 25 × 3.17 = 79 kg.

BMI for children and teens

Children grow, and their BMI changes along the way: it is high in toddlers, lowest around age six and then rises again to the adult level. That is why ranges per age and sex apply up to and including age 18. This calculator uses the same ranges as the Dutch Nutrition Centre and Dutch youth health care: the international IOTF cut-offs. For overweight and obesity they match the adult ranges exactly at age 18 (25 and 30). For underweight, Dutch youth health care uses a lower cut-off: 17 at age 18 instead of 18.5.

Healthy BMI per age for boys and girls
Age	Boys: healthy	Girls: healthy
2 years	14.12 – 18.41	13.90 – 18.02
3 years	13.79 – 17.89	13.60 – 17.56
4 years	13.52 – 17.55	13.34 – 17.28
5 years	13.31 – 17.42	13.09 – 17.15
6 years	13.15 – 17.55	12.93 – 17.34
7 years	13.08 – 17.92	12.91 – 17.75
8 years	13.11 – 18.44	13.00 – 18.35
9 years	13.24 – 19.10	13.18 – 19.07
10 years	13.45 – 19.84	13.43 – 19.86
11 years	13.72 – 20.55	13.79 – 20.74
12 years	14.05 – 21.22	14.28 – 21.68
13 years	14.48 – 21.91	14.85 – 22.58
14 years	15.01 – 22.62	15.43 – 23.34
15 years	15.55 – 23.29	15.98 – 23.94
16 years	16.08 – 23.90	16.44 – 24.37
17 years	16.58 – 24.46	16.77 – 24.70
18 years	17.00 – 25.00	17.00 – 25.00

Below the first number counts as underweight, from the second as overweight. The calculator also knows the cut-offs for severe underweight and for obesity. For children of South Asian descent, the Dutch Nutrition Centre recommends lower overweight cut-offs. If you are worried about your child's weight, ask your child's doctor.

Where BMI falls short

BMI only looks at your weight, not at what that weight is made of. Someone with a lot of muscle can have a BMI above 25 and still carry little fat. The other way round, someone with a healthy BMI can have a lot of belly fat. For people who train, your body fat percentage or waist size often says more. The Dutch Nutrition Centre considers a waist below 94 cm (men) or 80 cm (women) healthy; from 102 cm (men) or 88 cm (women) the risk of health problems is clearly higher.

Frequently asked questions

What is a healthy BMI?

For adults under 70, a BMI of 18.5 to 25 counts as a healthy weight; from 70, a BMI of 22 to 28. For children it depends on age: for a 10-year-old boy it is 13.45 to 19.84.

Does BMI apply to children and teens?

Yes, but with different ranges. Children and teens are still growing, so up to and including age 18 there are ranges per age and sex. Enter the age and this calculator automatically uses the right ranges from age 2.

I train a lot and my BMI is too high. Is that right?

That can be because of your muscle mass. Measure your body fat percentage or your waist instead; those do show the difference between muscle and fat.

BMI is a rough measure and not a diagnosis. If you are worried about your weight or your child's, talk to your doctor.

Sources

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