BMI calculator
Pick your height, then type a weight to get your BMI, or type a BMI to see the weight it means at that height.
At 170 cm that is a BMI of 24.22 (healthy weight). The healthy range at that height is 53.46–71.96 kg.
What it means
Where does that weight sit?
BMI is a screening number for adults, not a diagnosis: it does not tell muscle from fat and differs by age, sex and ethnicity. Ask a doctor about your own health.
Every unit
That weight as BMI and in every unit
Learn
Three things worth knowing
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kg ÷ m²
At 1.70 m, divide the weight by 2.89: 70 kg is a BMI of 24.2. In pounds and inches, BMI = 703 × lb ÷ in².
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Quetelet’s index
Belgian statistician Adolphe Quetelet noticed in the 1830s that adult weight grows with the square of height. Ancel Keys named it the body mass index in 1972.
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One number for everyone
BMI cutoffs were set mostly on European adults; children need age charts, and some Asian guidelines start “overweight” at 23.
Shortcuts
Popular weight conversions
Background
About BMI
Body mass index is your weight in kilograms divided by your height in meters squared. The WHO bands for adults are: under 18.5 underweight, 18.5 to 24.9 healthy, 25 to 29.9 overweight and 30 or more obese.
Because it ignores body shape, a muscular athlete can score “overweight”. It is a quick population tool, best read alongside waist size and other measures.