Healthy weight calculator
A healthy weight depends on your height. The NHS healthy-weight band is a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9, which FitCalcs converts into a weight range in kilograms for your exact height. Enter your current weight too and it shows how far you sit from the band. BMI is a population screen, not a diagnosis: it does not separate muscle from fat, so very muscular people can sit above the band while still being lean. This is general information, not a medical assessment.
How this is worked out
The NHS healthy-weight band is a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9. Rearranging the BMI formula gives the weight range for your height:
lower kg = 18.5 x (height_m)^2
upper kg = 24.9 x (height_m)^2
BMI is a population screen, not a diagnosis: it does not separate muscle from fat, so very muscular people can sit above the band while still being lean. The NHS pairs it with waist-to-height ratio for that reason.
Informational only, not a medical assessment. Editorially reviewed by FitCalcs, with each figure citing its source.
For context, about 64% of UK adults are overweight or living with obesity and 29% live with obesity (NHS Health Survey for England 2022). See the full breakdown by sex and age in the UK fitness and body benchmarks.
Common questions
What is a healthy weight for my height?
A healthy weight is the range that puts your BMI between 18.5 and 24.9, the NHS healthy-weight band. FitCalcs converts that band into a weight range in kilograms for your exact height, and shows how far your current weight sits from it. BMI is a population screen, not a diagnosis. This is general information, not a medical assessment.
Is BMI accurate for muscular people?
Not reliably. BMI is only weight divided by height squared, so it cannot tell dense muscle from fat. Because muscle is heavier than fat for its size, a lean, strong person can land in the overweight or even obese band while carrying little body fat. The NHS says BMI may overestimate body fat in muscular adults and athletes.
Is BMI accurate for South Asian people?
The standard BMI bands underestimate weight-related health risk for South Asian and UK Asian people. These groups tend to face higher risks of type 2 diabetes and heart disease at a lower BMI than white European adults, so the NHS and NICE apply lower thresholds. This is general information, consult your GP or a registered dietitian about your own risk.
What else should I check besides BMI?
Lean on waist measures too. Keeping your waist under half your height is a simple cross-check that does not depend on ethnicity adjustments, and the NHS now recommends using it alongside BMI. Treat a high BMI as a prompt to look closer rather than a verdict.
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Editor, FitCalcs
Oliver Mackman is the named editor of FitCalcs and a director of Best Business Loans Ltd (Companies House 16833937), the company that operates the site. He is accountable for its editorial standards, sourcing and corrections, and requires every result to cite the underlying equation and the named UK source behind it, with health tools carrying the appropriate not-medical-advice caveats.
Last reviewed: 12 June 2026