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What is BMI?

Overweight and obesity are based on body mass index (BMI), which is a measure of an individual’s weight in relation to his or her height. BMI is highly correlated with body fat and is widely used to indicate health risks^.5 According to new Canadian guidelines, aligned with those of the World Health Organization, BMI is classified into six categories, each representing a different level of risk:

	BMI range	Risk of developing health problems
Underweight	<18.5	Increased
Normal weight	18.5 to 24.9	Least
Overweight	25.0 to 29.9	Increased
Obese Class I	30.0 to 34.9	High
Obese Class II	35.0 to 39.9	Very high
Obese Class III	≥40.0	Extremely high

BMI is calculated as follows:

Metric: BMI=weight(kg)/height (metres )²

Non-metric: BMI=weight(pounds)/height (inches)² x 703

For example, the weight cut points for a 5’10” (1.78m) person and a 5’4” (1.63 m) person would be:

	Height 70''/ 1.78m Weight		Height 64''/ 1.63m Weight
	(pounds)	(kg)	(pounds)	(kg)
Underweight	128 or less	58.4 or less	107 or less	49.0 or less
Normal weight	129 to 173	58.5 to 79.0	108 to 145	49.1 to 66.2
Overweight	174 to 208	79.1 to 94.8	146 to 174	66.3 to 79.5
Obese Class I	209 to 243	94.9 to 110.7	175 to 203	79.6 to 92.8
Obese Class II	244 to 278	110.8 to 126.5	204 to 232	92.9 to 106.1
Obese Class III	279 and over	126.6 and over	233 and over	106.2 and over

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Date modified: 2005-07-06	Important Notices