BMI & Waist Circumference Calculator
Classify adult weight status against the WHO cut-offs, including the three grades of chronic energy deficiency, and read central adiposity from waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio.
Measure at the midpoint between the lowest rib and the top of the iliac crest, at the end of a normal breath out. BMI does not distinguish fat from muscle, and it says nothing about where fat sits — waist does.
The international bands are the default and the ones Ethiopian national surveys report against. The 2004 WHO Asian cut-offs lower the overweight threshold to 23 and obesity to 27.5.
Enter weight and height to calculate.
A screening index, not a diagnosis. BMI cannot tell muscle from fat and is unreliable in pregnancy, in oedema or ascites, in people with high muscle mass, and in older adults who have lost height. In an adult, weight status is interpreted alongside waist circumference, clinical history and examination. For use by qualified healthcare professionals as a reference aid.