BMI Calculator – Men, Women, Teens, Kids

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WHAT IS THE BMI?

It does not matter if you want to lose weight, do something for your health or if you are gaining muscle mass, the Body Mass Index (BMI in its abbreviation) is, in most cases, the first value that is calculated. BMI is an indicative and measurement value that allows an assessment of body weight. It is obtained from the relationship between body weight and height. The evaluation distinguishes between the following categories: low weight, normal weight, overweight and obesity.

HOW IS THE BMI CALCULATED?

This BMI of a person can be obtained by dividing the weight (in kilograms) by the square of his height.

Its formula consists of: BMI = Weight ÷ (Height x Height)

For Example: A person has a weight of 60 kg and is 1.69 m tall.

Calculation: (60 kg) / (1.69 m) ² = 21

Therefore, the person has a BMI of 21.

Body Mass Index Categories

On the basis of the value obtained after the calculation, we can categorize the body mass index in the following categories:

  • If BMI value comes under 19, than the person is having Low Weight.
  • BMI value between 19 to 25 indicates that person is having a Normal Weight.
  • BMI value between 25 to 30 indicates that person is Overweight.
  • The value of BMI greater than 30 indicates that person is suffering from Obesity.

You can check the body mass index categories in the below mentioned table:

 Body Mass Index Categories

Category BMI (kg / m²) Body weight
Severe thinness <16.0 Underweight
Moderate thinness 16.0 – 17.0 Underweight
Slight thinness 17.0 – 18.5 Underweight
Normal weight 18.5 – 24.9 Normal weight
Pre-obese 25.0 – 29.9 Overweight
Type I obesity 30.0 – 34.9 Obesity
Type II Obesity 35.0 – 39.9 Obesity
Type III Obesity ≥ 40 Obesity

The people who fall under the category of overweight don’t have the risk of having health disorders but they need to maintain their diet plans. The persons having this value of their body mass index have a risk of suffering from various health disorders which can include high blood pressure, diabetes and increased cholesterol levels in the blood.

What is the Body Mass Index Used for?

The body Mass Index was invented by Belgian scientist Adolphe Quetelet, which is one of the best methods currently implemented in the world to check obesity. Depending on the number, you can know if the person is at an ideal weight, below or above, which means a person is suffering from obesity. Specifically, values ​​below 18.5 denote extreme thinness, from 18.5 to 24.9 healthy weight, between 25 and 29.9, overweight and more than 30, obesity.

Though its basic purpose is to detect obesity in the person. But it can be used to detect various health related deficiencies on the basis of which you might require some surgery or consult a doctor. Here are some of the things for which BMI can be used:

Used as an Indicator for Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric Surgery is a surgical procedure of losing weight. Along with BMI doctors also analyze the patient’s previous medical history so that they can confirm if they can have the surgery done or not. The other factors which are checked by the doctor are tolerance to anaesthesia, result of previous gastroscopy etc.

When undergoing surgery with the goal of losing weight, surgeons take into account several indicators to decide if the patient really needs it or not. In addition to studying the person’s medical history, doctors assess data such as their tolerance to anesthesia, the results of a previous gastroscopy or if they have previously tried to lose weight in another way. The person with a BMI greater than 35 or 40 having diabetes and hypertension are not eligible for the surgery to be conducted on them. Bariatric Surgery reduces the size of gastric cavity and also help to reduce the ability of the intestine to absorb nutrients which in turn help in reducing BMI in the person.

Higher the BMI, Higher the risk of Heart Attack.

The higher BMI means a person has a large accumulation of fat in his body. BMI values have direct influence on blood glucose level and also depicts the presence of huge amount of cholesterol in the patient’s body. So all these factors combined leads to risk of stroke or a heart attack which can also lead to the death of a person.

Higher BMI Worst Body Balance and Posture

Higher BMI is also used to depict that your body weight, body balance and body postures are not correct.

Higher BMI is the cause for Sleep Apnoea

A sleep disorder,  in which a person feels tired after a full night’s sleep is directly related to BMI. The symptoms of this disorder are start and stop breathing along with loud snoring and tiredness after sleep. Therefore higher BMI can lead to Sleep Apnoea.

BMI Statistics Region wise

According to a report by World Health Organization (WHO) almost 2.8 million people in the world die of obesity and being overweight. The person being overweight leads to adverse metabolic effects on cholesterol, blood pressure and insulin. With the increase in BMI, the risk of coronary heart disease stroke and the problem of type 2 diabetes increase significantly. There is also a risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer, gallbladder cancer and colon cancer. The average BMI for the adult people should be in the range of 21 to 23 kg/m2

According to a survey 35% of adults who were aged more than 20 had the BMI index more than 25 kg/m2 which included 34%of the world’s men population and 35% of the female population. So it comes out that over more than billion adults worldwide were obese on the basis of Body Mass index. If we take out important regions of the world than the American region have the highest ratio of overweight people means body mass index greater than 25 with total percentage coming out to be 62% for overweight people and 26% for obese adults including both men and women. The European region, The Eastern Mediterranean and the American region have over 50% of the female population as overweight. For all these three regions more than half of the women come under obese category. The region of Africa, South East Asia had more women obese than their male counterparts.

BMI Statistics Country Wise Table

BMI is directly related to income levels of the people in the various countries. The higher BMI was found in the countries with higher and upper middle class income as compared to low income countries. Women had more BMI index than men in low income counties and similar to men in high income countries.. The lower income counries had only 7% people obese as compared to high income countries which had around 24% people overweight and obese according to the BMI index.

The country which had most obese people according to data is a territory of America named American samoa where 74.6% of people were found obese based on BMI index. Other South Pacific nations have also the higher BMI which includes Nauru, Tonga, Kiribati and Palau. Only other country to feature in top 10 on the basis of BMI which is not in South Pacific region is Kuwait.If we consider most poulous countries of the world the Egypt is on the top of the list with United states of America with 33% people obese is at 18th number and the united Kingdom host for 26.9% people who are obese

We can see the table which will tell us the BMI of the people of various countries.

Country Overall rank Overall mean BMI (kg/m2) Female rank Female mean BMI (kg/m2) Male rank Male mean BMI (kg/m2)
Cook Islands 1 32.5 3 32.8 1 32.1
Tonga 2 31.9 1 33.5 2 30.4
Samoa 3 31.7 1 33.5 3 29.9
Kuwait 4 30 6 30.8 4 29.5
Saint Kitts and Nevis 5 29.7 5 30.9 12 28.4
Saint Lucia 6 29.6 9 30.2 7 28.9
Kiribati 6 29.6 8 30.5 9 28.7
Palau 8 29.4 19 29.5 5 29.4
Federated States of Micronesia 8 29.4 4 31 22 27.8
Tuvalu 10 29.3 14 29.9 9 28.7
Qatar 11 29.2 11 30.1 6 29
Marshall Islands 11 29.2 12 30 12 28.4
Egypt 11 29.2 7 30.7 26 27.6
United Arab Emirates 14 29 15 29.7 11 28.6
Jordan 15 28.9 15 29.7 15 28.2
Belize 15 28.9 9 30.2 26 27.6
United States of America 17 28.8 27 28.8 8 28.8
Bahamas 17 28.8 17 29.6 16 28
Trinidad and Tobago 19 28.7 21 29.4 20 27.9
Barbados 19 28.7 12 30 38 27.4
Saudi Arabia 21 28.5 29 28.7 14 28.3
Libya 22 28.4 17 29.6 46 27.2
Bahrain 23 28.2 32 28.6 16 28
Mexico 24 28.1 29 28.7 33 27.5
Antigua and Barbuda 24 28.1 19 29.5 44 27.3
Syria 24 28.1 24 29 46 27.2
Iraq 27 28 27 28.8 46 27.2
New Zealand 28 27.9 41 27.8 16 28
Lebanon 29 27.8 45 27.6 16 28
Uruguay 29 27.8 38 28 26 27.6
Turkey 29 27.8 33 28.5 50 27.1
Argentina 32 27.7 47 27.5 22 27.8
Ireland 33 27.5 57 27.1 20 27.9
Andorra 33 27.5 57 27.1 22 27.8
Kazakhstan 35 27.4 47 27.5 38 27.4
El Salvador 35 27.4 38 28 56 26.8
Azerbaijan 35 27.4 36 28.1 67 26.6
Suriname 35 27.4 35 28.2 69 26.5
Jamaica 35 27.4 22 29.2 105 25.5
United Kingdom 40 27.3 57 27.1 33 27.5
Greece 40 27.3 55 27.2 38 27.4
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 40 27.3 36 28.1 69 26.5
South Africa 40 27.3 23 29.1 110 25.4
Australia 44 27.2 69 26.8 26 27.6
Canada 44 27.2 69 26.8 26 27.6
Malta 44 27.2 69 26.8 33 27.5
Venezuela 44 27.2 57 27.1 38 27.4
Georgia 44 27.2 52 27.3 46 27.2
Fiji 44 27.2 34 28.4 85 26.1
Panama 50 27.1 43 27.7 76 26.4
Cyprus 51 27 87 26.3 26 27.6
Ecuador 51 27 43 27.7 76 26.4
Grenada 51 27 29 28.7 113 25.2
Dominica 51 27 24 29 116 25.1
Czech Republic 55 26.9 94 26 22 27.8
Slovenia 55 26.9 87 26.3 33 27.5
Oman 55 26.9 57 27.1 56 26.8
Costa Rica 55 26.9 57 27.1 60 26.7
Nicaragua 55 26.9 41 27.8 88 26
Chile 60 26.8 67 26.9 60 26.7
Tunisia 60 26.8 47 27.5 88 26
Seychelles 60 26.8 38 28 100 25.6
Spain 63 26.7 94 26 38 27.4
Moldova 63 26.7 57 27.1 82 26.3
Dominican Republic 63 26.7 50 27.4 88 26
Armenia 63 26.7 50 27.4 92 25.9
Lithuania 67 26.6 94 26 44 27.3
Belarus 67 26.6 90 26.2 50 27.1
Swaziland 69 26.5 26 28.9 130 24.1
Luxembourg 69 26.5 112 25.5 26 27.6
Slovakia 69 26.5 102 25.7 38 27.4
Russia 69 26.5 69 26.8 85 26.1
Guatemala 69 26.5 57 27.1 96 25.8
Poland 74 26.4 102 25.7 52 27
Turkmenistan 74 26.4 82 26.4 76 26.4
Honduras 74 26.4 52 27.3 105 25.5
Guyana 77 26.3 45 27.6 117 25
Hungary 77 26.3 119 25.2 33 27.5
Germany 77 26.3 106 25.6 52 27
Israel 77 26.3 90 26.2 82 26.3
Peru 77 26.3 67 26.9 98 25.7
Iran 82 26.2 55 27.2 112 25.3
Portugal 82 26.2 102 25.7 60 26.7
Brunei 82 26.2 78 26.6 96 25.8
Cuba 82 26.2 75 26.7 100 25.6
Kyrgyzstan 82 26.2 69 26.8 100 25.6
Vanuatu 82 26.2 69 26.8 100 25.6
Algeria 82 26.2 66 27 105 25.5
Albania 89 26.1 106 25.6 67 26.6
Bosnia and Herzegovina 89 26.1 102 25.7 69 26.5
Uzbekistan 89 26.1 87 26.3 92 25.9
Mongolia 92 26 82 26.4 105 25.5
Norway 92 26 119 25.2 55 26.9
Italy 92 26 119 25.2 56 26.8
Bulgaria 92 26 115 25.3 60 26.7
Montenegro 92 26 112 25.5 69 26.5
Ukraine 92 26 101 25.8 76 26.4
Bolivia 98 25.9 52 27.3 122 24.6
Colombia 98 25.9 80 26.5 110 25.4
Brazil 98 25.9 94 26 92 25.9
Iceland 98 25.9 123 25.1 60 26.7
Finland 98 25.9 115 25.3 69 26.5
Yemen 103 25.8 80 26.5 113 25.2
Paraguay 103 25.8 94 26 100 25.6
Latvia 103 25.8 123 25.1 56 26.8
Sweden 103 25.8 131 24.9 60 26.7
Serbia 103 25.8 119 25.2 76 26.4
Macedonia 103 25.8 115 25.3 76 26.4
Mauritius 109 25.6 90 26.2 117 25
Equatorial Guinea 109 25.6 93 26.1 117 25
Morocco 109 25.6 99 25.9 113 25.2
Gabon 112 25.5 82 26.4 122 24.6
Solomon Islands 112 25.5 82 26.4 124 24.5
Belgium 112 25.5 134 24.7 84 26.2
Estonia 112 25.5 142 24.3 52 27
Croatia 112 25.5 135 24.6 69 26.5
Tajikistan 117 25.4 115 25.3 105 25.5
Netherlands 117 25.4 129 25 92 25.9
Austria 117 25.4 140 24.4 69 26.5
Papua New Guinea 120 25.3 106 25.6 117 25
Malaysia 120 25.3 106 25.6 117 25
Romania 120 25.3 131 24.9 98 25.7
Denmark 120 25.3 139 24.5 88 26
France 120 25.3 135 24.6 85 26.1
Switzerland 120 25.3 155 23.8 60 26.7
South Sudan 126 25.2 75 26.7 134 23.7
Sudan 126 25.2 75 26.7 134 23.7
Maldives 128 25.1 99 25.9 127 24.2
Lesotho 129 24.9 57 27.1 151 22.7
Mauritania 130 24.8 82 26.4 142 23.2
Sao Tome and Principe 130 24.8 106 25.6 131 23.9
Botswana 132 24.7 78 26.6 147 22.9
Cabo Verde 132 24.7 114 25.4 131 23.9
Cameroon 134 24.4 123 25.1 133 23.8
Namibia 135 24.3 106 25.6 147 22.9
Ghana 136 24.2 123 25.1 139 23.4
Comoros 137 24.1 123 25.1 145 23
Thailand 137 24.1 135 24.6 136 23.6
Angola 137 24.1 135 24.6 138 23.5
Haiti 137 24.1 148 24 127 24.2
Gambia 141 24 123 25.1 145 23
Liberia 141 24 131 24.9 142 23.2
China 143 23.9 157 23.6 127 24.2
South Korea 143 23.9 160 23.4 125 24.3
Pakistan 145 23.8 140 24.4 141 23.3
Bhutan 145 23.8 144 24.2 139 23.4
Singapore 147 23.7 165 23.2 125 24.3
Côte d’Ivoire 148 23.6 145 24.1 142 23.2
Zimbabwe 149 23.4 129 25 172 21.8
Benin 149 23.4 142 24.3 153 22.6
Nigeria 149 23.4 148 24 150 22.8
Republic of the Congo 152 23.3 145 24.1 155 22.5
Djibouti 152 23.3 153 23.9 151 22.7
Togo 154 23.2 148 24 157 22.4
Philippines 154 23.2 160 23.4 147 22.9
Guinea-Bissau 156 23.1 153 23.9 162 22.2
Tanzania 156 23.1 148 24 162 22.2
Senegal 158 23 145 24.1 172 21.8
Kenya 158 23 148 24 169 21.9
Sri Lanka 158 23 159 23.5 155 22.5
Indonesia 161 22.9 160 23.4 157 22.4
Sierra Leone 162 22.8 157 23.6 168 22
Malawi 162 22.8 163 23.3 161 22.3
Mali 162 22.8 168 23 153 22.6
Guinea 165 22.7 163 23.3 164 22.1
Zambia 166 22.6 155 23.8 178 21.5
Myanmar 166 22.6 165 23.2 164 22.1
Laos 166 22.6 171 22.7 157 22.4
Japan 166 22.6 183 21.7 136 23.6
Central African Republic 170 22.4 165 23.2 176 21.6
Mozambique 171 22.3 168 23 176 21.6
Chad 171 22.3 173 22.5 164 22.1
Democratic Republic of the Congo 173 22.2 173 22.5 172 21.8
Nepal 173 22.2 178 22 157 22.4
Burkina Faso 175 22.1 178 22 164 22.1
Uganda 176 22 168 23 185 21
Rwanda 176 22 171 22.7 182 21.3
Somalia 178 21.9 173 22.5 184 21.2
India 178 21.9 177 22.1 172 21.8
Cambodia 178 21.9 178 22 169 21.9
North Korea 181 21.8 181 21.8 169 21.9
Niger 182 21.7 176 22.2 182 21.3
Vietnam 183 21.6 184 21.6 178 21.5
Afghanistan 183 21.6 181 21.8 178 21.5
Timor-Leste 185 21.2 188 21 178 21.5
Madagascar 186 21.1 186 21.2 186 20.9
Bangladesh 187 21 186 21.2 187 20.7
Burundi 188 20.9 185 21.3 188 20.4
Ethiopia 189 20.6 188 21 189 20.2
Eritrea 190 20.5 188 21 190 20.1

BMI Statistics Gender wise

Men and women are differently made by God. So the BMI values also vary between men and women. Men and women are not similar physically. Therefore it is important to have different BMI for men and women. Moreover women have generally higher level of healthy body fat whereas men have comparatively greater muscular mass than women.

BMI Statistics for Female

Though there is only one criteria for BMI calculation which is explained above in the article, but as the woman grows, their body fat increases with their age. So that criteria can fail to calculate BMI for a female. BMI of a woman increases till the age of 60 but after the age of 60 BMI of women tends to fall. BMI calculator fails to calculate BMI according to full body composition. Generally the woman will accumulate more fat on their hips and breasts whereas men don’t have that fat in their body. Therefore when we calculate BMI of women, these factors are not considered therefore they have higher BMI than men.

So we will show you the actual BMI for women according to their age:

Mean BMI value for Female

Age (Years) Average BMI
20 -29 24.4
30-39 26.4
40-49 27.8
50-59 28.4
60-69 27.5

So according to the table above we can see that women generally have BMI more than 25 which according to general BMI index is category of an overweight person. So if the women have a BMI between 25 and 29, it can be considered as an ideal weight for them.

 BMI Statistics for Male

Men generally tend to grow their muscular mass as their age increases. So the BMI of men will vary according to age. Adult men below the age of 20 will have lower BMI index compared to men more than the age of 20. If we compare BMI of men and women from the ages of 20-29 men have higher BMI compared to females, whereas BMI of men starts decreasing between the age of 30-50 but on the other hand women tend to gain more fat in these age and hence their BMI is more than men.

Here is the table depicting average BMI of the men which is based on their age.

Mean BMI for Men

Age (Years) Average BMI
20 -29 24.5
30-39 25.9
40-49 26.8
50-59 27.2
60-69 27.0

Therefore by going through the above table we can say that the average BMI of men can vary between 25 and 27 and can be considered as an ideal BMI for a healthy men.

Body Mass Index for Children

Body Mass Index for Children is calculated differently than adults. This is because children from the age of 2-20 grows continuously and their height and weight increases with the time. Moreover, girls and boys grow differently so the Body Mass Index for the girls and boys also differ accordingly. Therefore BMI of children is calculated in the form of percentile rather than a number.

Here is the BMI table for the children between 2-12

              Percentile Weight Status
Less than 5 Percentile  Underweight
5 Percentile to Below 85th percentile Normal or Healthy weight
85th to less than 95th percentile Overweight
Above the 95th percentile Obese

Body Mass Index for Teens

Teens go through massive body changes as they start to hit puberty. Girls start gaining their hips and breast fat whereas boys tend to gain skeletal muscle mass and other bodily changes. The BMI of the teens is also calculated in percentile as the body of teens continuously changes during these years and is the important passage of their life.

So here is the table for BMI of teens generally between the age of 13 and 19:

              Percentile Weight Status
Less than 3 Percentile  Underweight
3 Percentile to Below 85th percentile Normal or Healthy weight
85th to less than 97th percentile Overweight
Above the 97th percentile to 99.9 percentile Obese
Above the 99.9th percentile Severely Obese

Importance of Healthy BMI

It’s very important to maintain a healthy BMI as it will give you the ideal weight. Here are the benefits of maintaining the healthy BMI:

  • Healthier Heart: The better your BMI, better is your heart’s health. The heart will work more efficiently as blood flow will increase to arteries of heart. Therefore you can avoid chronic heart disease like strokes and heart attacks.
  • Lower Risk of Diabetes: You will not suffer from type 2 diabetes in your life, but if you are overweight according to your BMI you will have to work on losing weight to control the diabetes.
  • Reduces the Risk of Cancer: Healthy BMI helps to avoid various types of cancer in the people like breast cancer in females, prostate in males etc.
  • Increased Fertility in Women: Women with the better BMI have lesser problems in pregnancy and can deliver easily.
  • Prevents Arthritis: Whenever body exerts the extra pressure due to overload of work physical or mental, you can suffer joint pains. But having an ideal body weight will reduce risk of these pains as lesser the weight of the body, lesser the pressure on joints.
  • Good Circulation of Blood: Maintain proper body weight will enhance the flow of blood in the various organs of the body, hence stimulating the smooth functioning of all the vital body organs.

Dangers of Unhealthy BMI

BMI is one of the main factors which determines the amount of extra fat a person has accumulated according to his height and weight. Maintaining unhealthy BMI will lead to various troubles to your body. Some of the unwanted diseases which you can suffer due to being overweight and obese are:

  • Type 2 Diabetes
  • Stroke or heart Attacks
  • Sleep Apnea
  • Hypertension
  • Disease of gallbladder
  • Depression and other mental health disorders
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Incapable Immune System
  • Risk of Cancers
  • Osteoporosis
  • Digestive Diseases
  • Respiratory Diseases

Some of the diseases mentioned above occur due to higher value of BMI whereas some of the disease mention occurs due to lower BMI value of the body.

Tips to Keep Healthy BMI

In order to stay healthy steps must be taken by the people to maintain the normal BMI. If you are struggling to lose weight, the following steps will be helpful to you in shedding some calories to maintain a better Body Mass Index.

Eat in Portions

The food you take during the day should be taken in smaller portions. Rather than taking 3 large meals, you should have 5 meals but in lesser proportion

Exercise

To keep the weight off, exercise is a must as it helps to burn calories. Daily 30 minutes of stern exercise is enough to maintain your body weight.

Change Your Thought Process

Change your thinking process and avoid the negative thoughts that comes to your mind.

Energy Balance

You need to balance your energy. Amount of energy you take by eating foods and drinks should be utilized by your body for your activities like breathing, digestion and also in some physical activities to maintain energy level.

Reduce Screen Time

If you are too addicted to your electronic gadgets such as phones, laptops etc than you will gain the weight. So divide the time efficiently to use these devices so that it doesn’t affect your body.

Stay Hydrated

Drink lots of water as it will prevent you from overeating. Also water helps to transport essential nutrients to your body parts which will boost your energy level.

Eat Fiber Rich Foods

High Fiber foods helps to lower the level of cholesterol in the body along with controlling glucose level which will ultimately help in maintaining your ideal body weight according to Body Mass Index.

Don’t Skip Breakfast

Breakfast is an important meal of the day so try to have it as you will feel hungry after sometime if you don’t have your breakfast and you will go for unhealthy food. Not only breakfast every meal in the day should be taken timely.

Get Enough Sleep

If you are not taking enough sleep you will suffer from fatigue and ultimately gain weight which will not be good for your BMI.

So these are some tips which if you implement in your life can make your weight ideal along with a fit body by maintaining the required value of  BMI.

When to see a doctor?

Healthy BMI is an important number for the well being of a person. If your BMI index is lower or higher and you are tired after continuous effort to gain or lose weight accordingly you need to see a doctor immediately as you may be at the risk of various diseases. So it’s better to avoid the risk of being suffering from chronic diseases and take an immediate medical help.

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