BMI is used to categorise people’s weight. BMI charts are mainly used for working out the health of populations rather than individuals.

A high or low BMI may be an indicator of poor diet, varying activity levels, or high stress. Just because someone has a ‘normal BMI’ does not mean that they are healthy.

BMI doesn’t take account of body composition, for example, muscle, fat, bone density. Sex and other factors which can impact your weight can also lead to an inaccurate reading. As such a BMI calculation is not a suitable measure for some people including children and young people under 18, pregnant women and athletes.

BMI Ranges

Your BMI will fit into one of five bands:

• under 18.5 – This is described as underweight.
• between 18.5 and 24.9 – This is described as the ‘healthy range’.
• Between 25 and 29.9 – This is described as overweight
• between 30 and 39.9 – This is described as obesity
• 40 or over – This is described as severe obesity

Use this easy NHS tool to check your BMI BMI calculator

Need to keep reduce your BMI? Check out these eight tips for healthy eating: 8 tips for healthy eating – NHS