Free overweight calculator
Find out if you're overweight in two seconds. Enter your height and weight and the calculator returns your BMI and tells you whether it falls in the WHO overweight band (25.0–29.9) — with an overweight-by-height chart and what to do about it, updated live, as you type.
On this page14 sections
BMI is a screening tool, not a diagnostic measure. It does not account for muscle mass, age, or ethnicity. Consult your doctor for a full assessment.
Results are estimates. Consult a professional.
What BMI counts as overweight?
You are classed as overweight when your body mass index (BMI) falls between 25.0 and 29.9. That is the World Health Organization's overweight band for adults — the step between the healthy band (18.5–24.9) below it and obesity (30 and above) above it. This overweight calculator works it out for you: enter your height and weight, and it computes your BMI and tells you which band you land in.
If your number comes back inside that band, it is worth keeping in perspective. Overweight is the mildest step outside the healthy range — a modest signal, not a diagnosis. Many people sit here, and a small, steady change is usually all it takes to move back toward the healthy band. The sections below show exactly what the band means at your height, how it differs from obesity, and what to do about it.
A worked example using the overweight calculator
Tom is 1.75 m tall and weighs 85 kg (about 187 lb). He wants to know whether that puts him in the overweight band. Here is exactly how the calculator works it out.
- Square the height in metres. 1.75 × 1.75 = 3.0625.
- Divide the weight by that figure. 85 ÷ 3.0625 = 27.8. The imperial cross-check (187 lb, 68.9 in) gives 703 × 187 ÷ 68.9² ≈ 27.8 — the same answer.
- Match it to a band. 27.8 sits inside the 25.0–29.9 range, so the calculator returns a BMI of 27.8 and the category Overweight.
That gap is smaller than it looks. Tom does not need to reach a textbook BMI to benefit — research consistently shows a 5–10% weight change (for Tom, about 4–9 kg) improves blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. Reaching the edge of the healthy band, not the centre of it, delivers most of the gain. The action section below shows how.
Overweight weight range by height
Just as every height has a healthy weight range, every height has an overweight range — the span of weights that puts your BMI between 25.0 and 29.9. The table below applies the band across common heights, in both kilograms and pounds. Find the height nearest yours: if your weight falls inside that span, you are in the overweight band; below it you are in the healthy range, and above it you cross into obesity.
| Height | Overweight range (kg) | Overweight range (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 4'10" (147 cm) | 54 – 65 kg | 119 – 142 lb |
| 5'0" (152 cm) | 58 – 69 kg | 128 – 153 lb |
| 5'2" (157 cm) | 62 – 74 kg | 137 – 163 lb |
| 5'4" (163 cm) | 66 – 79 kg | 146 – 174 lb |
| 5'6" (168 cm) | 70 – 84 kg | 155 – 185 lb |
| 5'8" (173 cm) | 75 – 89 kg | 164 – 197 lb |
| 5'10" (178 cm) | 79 – 95 kg | 174 – 208 lb |
| 6'0" (183 cm) | 84 – 100 kg | 184 – 220 lb |
| 6'2" (188 cm) | 88 – 106 kg | 195 – 233 lb |
| 6'4" (193 cm) | 93 – 111 kg | 205 – 246 lb |
Each range is the weight span that keeps BMI between 25.0 and 29.9 at that height, rounded to the nearest unit. The ranges are the same for men and women and apply to adults aged 20 and over.
Notice that the lower edge of each overweight range is exactly where the healthy range ends — at 5 ft 8 in, the healthy band tops out around 75 kg, and the overweight band picks up from there. Cross the upper edge and you move into obesity (BMI 30+). To see your own band rather than the nearest row, enter your exact height and weight in the calculator above, or use the healthy weight calculator for the band just below this one.
Overweight vs. obese — what's the difference?
Overweight and obese are two different BMI bands, and the line between them is a BMI of 30. Overweight runs from 25.0 to 29.9; at 30 and above the classification becomes obesity. The distinction matters because the statistical health risk rises as you move up the scale — but the overweight band sits at the gentler end of that slope, and a small change keeps you from drifting across the line.
| Category | BMI range |
|---|---|
| Healthy weight | 18.5 – 24.9 |
| Overweight | 25.0 – 29.9 |
| Obesity (class 1) | 30.0 – 34.9 |
| Obesity (class 2) | 35.0 – 39.9 |
| Obesity (class 3, severe) | 40.0 and above |
WHO adult classification. Obesity is split into three classes by severity; overweight is the single band immediately below it.
Two practical points follow. First, being overweight is not the same as being obese — the words are sometimes used loosely, but clinically they are separate bands with different risk profiles. Second, where you sit within the overweight band matters: a BMI of 25.1 is barely above the healthy range, while 29.9 is one point from obesity. The lower end usually warrants nothing more than keeping an eye on the trend; the upper end is worth a more active plan.
Can you be overweight and still healthy?
Yes — and this is one of the most important things to understand about the overweight band. BMI is a screen, not a measure of health itself, so a result of "overweight" does not automatically mean you are unwell. Plenty of people in the 25–29.9 band have healthy blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol, exercise regularly, and carry their weight in a way that poses little metabolic risk.
- Muscle reads as extra weight. BMI can't tell muscle from fat. A regular lifter or athlete can land in the overweight band with low body fat — the number is "over," the health risk is not.
- Fitness counts independently. Cardiorespiratory fitness, diet quality, and activity affect health outcomes on their own, somewhat apart from where BMI sits.
- Where fat sits matters more than the total. Fat stored around the abdomen carries more risk than the same weight spread elsewhere — which BMI cannot see.
Health risks of being overweight
The overweight band exists because, across large populations, sitting in it is associated with a modestly raised risk of several conditions. The key word is associated: these are statistical patterns across millions of people, not a prediction about any one person. Because overweight is the mildest band outside the healthy range, the risk increase here is smaller than in the obesity bands above — but it is real, which is why the band is worth knowing about.
- Type 2 diabetes — excess body fat changes how the body handles blood sugar, and risk begins to climb through the overweight band.
- High blood pressure and heart disease — carrying extra weight raises the load on the cardiovascular system.
- High cholesterol and metabolic changes — the markers that move with weight often start shifting in this band.
- Joint strain and sleep apnoea — mechanical and breathing effects that track with added weight.
Where in the overweight band are you?
Not all overweight results are equal. The band is a full five BMI points wide, and where you land inside it changes both the read and the action.
Wherever you sit, the whole-picture check is the same: pair your BMI with a waist measurement and, ideally, a body fat percentage. To place your exact number on the full BMI scale, use the BMI calculator; to see how much of your weight is fat rather than muscle, the body fat percentage calculator.
When BMI overstates being overweight
BMI is fast and standardised, but it uses only height and weight — so for some people the overweight label is misleading. Two cases are worth flagging, both of which are covered in more depth on the BMI calculator page.
Muscle can put athletes in the band
Muscle is denser than fat, so heavy lifters, athletes, and very fit people frequently score 25–29.9 on BMI while carrying low body fat. For them the overweight band reflects muscle, not excess fat — the better check is body composition, not the scale.
Asian populations may cross into overweight earlier
The opposite caveat applies for many people of South and East Asian descent, who face metabolic risk at a lower BMI. WHO Western Pacific guidance and several national bodies lower the overweight cut-off to around 23 rather than 25 — so someone with a BMI of 24 might be considered overweight under those guidelines even though the standard band reads "healthy."
How to move from overweight back to a healthy weight
If your result is genuinely overweight and you want to act on it, the good news is that the overweight band is the easiest to move out of — you are starting close to the healthy range. You do not need to reach a perfect BMI: a 5–10% weight change delivers most of the health benefit, and for many people that is only a handful of kilograms.
- Aim for the edge of the healthy band, not the middle. Find the weight where your BMI hits 24.9 at your height — that is your nearest realistic target, often just a few kilograms below where you are.
- Move through a modest calorie deficit. A sustainable deficit loses weight at about 0.5–1 kg (1–2 lb) per week — faster than that tends to cost muscle and rebound.
- Protect muscle as you go. Enough protein and some resistance activity keep the weight you lose coming from fat, not muscle, and improve the metabolic markers BMI never sees.
- Track the weekly trend, not the daily number. Day-to-day weight bounces a kilo or two regardless of what you do; a weekly average shows the real direction.
Before any significant change — especially with an existing health condition — check in with a doctor or registered dietitian. To plan the energy side, pair this with the healthy weight calculator (for your target range) and the ideal weight calculator (for a single reference figure).
Data sources and methodology
The calculator computes BMI with the standard formula — weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared, with the 703 factor applied for imperial inputs — and flags the overweight band of 25.0–29.9 from the WHO adult classification (also published by the US CDC and NIH). The overweight-by-height table applies that band across common heights, rounded to the nearest unit; its lower edges align with the upper edge of the healthy band. The lower Asian-population overweight cut-off (around 23) follows WHO Western Pacific guidance. The band applies to adults aged 20 and over; children and teens are assessed on the CDC's BMI-for-age growth charts.
Overweight band (BMI 25–29.9) and obesity classes: World Health Organization adult BMI classification, also published by the US CDC and NIH.Lower BMI cut-offs for Asian populations (overweight ≈23): WHO Western Pacific Region expert consultation.Frequently asked questions about the free overweight calculator
About this overweight calculator
This overweight calculator runs entirely in your browser. Your height and weight never leave your device — nothing is sent to a server, logged, or shared. It computes your BMI with the standard formula (weight in kg ÷ height in m²) and flags whether the result lands in the WHO overweight band of 25.0–29.9, updating instantly on every change.
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