BMI Charts & Tables.
Standard cut-offs from the World Health Organization for adults and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth references for children and teens. Toggle between the views you need.
WHO adult BMI categories
Applies to non-pregnant adults age 20 and over. Source: WHO — A healthy lifestyle.
| Classification | BMI (kg/m²) | Asian-WHO reference |
|---|---|---|
| Severe thinness | < 16.0 | < 16.0 |
| Moderate thinness | 16.0 – 16.9 | 16.0 – 16.9 |
| Mild thinness | 17.0 – 18.4 | 17.0 – 18.4 |
| Normal range | 18.5 – 24.9 | 18.5 – 22.9 |
| Overweight (pre-obese) | 25.0 – 29.9 | 23.0 – 27.4 |
| Obese class I | 30.0 – 34.9 | 27.5 – 32.4 |
| Obese class II | 35.0 – 39.9 | 32.5 – 37.4 |
| Obese class III | ≥ 40.0 | ≥ 37.5 |
The "Asian-WHO" column reflects the WHO Expert Consultation (Lancet, 2004) which recommends lower cut-offs for some Asian populations because cardiometabolic risk rises earlier in those cohorts.
BMI reference — male adults
WHO BMI cut-offs are identical for males and females. The table below converts the boundary BMI values into pounds at common heights so you can find your row at a glance.
| Height | Underweight (< 18.5) | Normal (18.5–24.9) | Overweight (25–29.9) | Obese (≥ 30) |
|---|
BMI reference — female adults
Same WHO cut-offs as the male table — BMI itself is sex-neutral. We show the female table separately because typical heights differ; the entries are otherwise identical.
| Height | Underweight (< 18.5) | Normal (18.5–24.9) | Overweight (25–29.9) | Obese (≥ 30) |
|---|
CDC BMI-for-age — children & teens
For ages 2–19 the CDC interprets BMI as a percentile against same-age, same-sex peers from the 2000 growth-reference cohort. The bands below are the definitions of those categories.
| Classification | BMI-for-age percentile | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Underweight | < 5th percentile | Refer to a paediatrician for follow-up. |
| Healthy weight | 5th – < 85th | The reference healthy band. |
| Overweight | 85th – < 95th | Risk-stratified follow-up recommended. |
| Obesity (class 1) | ≥ 95th | Clinical assessment recommended. |
| Severe obesity | ≥ 120 % of the 95th | Subclassified as class 2 / 3 in CDC extended BMI percentiles. |
Source: CDC Growth Charts (clinical) and CDC — Defining childhood weight status.
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