Overweight Calculator: How Much Over a Healthy BMI
Find how many kilograms or pounds you are above the healthy BMI limit of 24.9 for your height, and your WHO class from pre-obese to obese class III.
About the Overweight Calculator
The Overweight Calculator works out your body mass index (BMI) and shows how many kilograms and pounds your weight is above the top of the healthy range for your height, the weight at a BMI of 24.9. It also gives your World Health Organization (WHO) class, from pre-obese to obese class I, II or III. If your weight is at or below the limit, it says so.
Enter weight and height in metric, US or other units, then press Calculate BMI. The result shows the BMI, the broad category, the weight above the BMI 24.9 limit and the WHO class.
This is an estimate, not medical advice. BMI does not tell muscle from fat, so a muscular person can be classed as overweight without excess body fat. A doctor can look at your waist size, blood pressure and other measures to give a fuller picture.
WHO classes above the healthy range
Adult classes
- Pre-obese (overweight): BMI 25.0 to 29.9
- Obese class I: BMI 30.0 to 34.9
- Obese class II: BMI 35.0 to 39.9
- Obese class III: BMI 40.0 and above
The WHO links each step up with a higher risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
How the excess weight is calculated
The calculator finds the weight that gives a BMI of 24.9 at your height and subtracts it from your weight:
Worked example
At 175 cm, the limit is 24.9 × 1.75² = 24.9 × 3.0625 = 76.3 kg. A weight of 100 kg gives a BMI of 32.7, obese class I, and is 23.7 kg (52.3 lb) above the limit.
The figure is the distance to the top of the healthy range, not a target. Even a modest, steady loss of 5 to 10 percent of body weight is linked with health benefits, and many people find a gradual change easier to keep.
Things BMI does not show
BMI says nothing about where fat is stored. Fat around the waist carries more risk than fat on the hips, which is why many health services also measure waist circumference. BMI is also not meant for children, who use age charts, or during pregnancy. Some health bodies use lower cut-offs for people of South Asian, Chinese or Black African and Caribbean heritage.
Privacy
Nothing is uploaded. Every calculation runs in your browser, and your height and weight never leave your device.
Related tools
See the healthy weight range for your height on the Healthy Weight Calculator, or compare classic ideal weight formulas on the Ideal Weight Calculator. The standard BMI Calculator shows every WHO class, and the Mass Converter converts kilograms and pounds.
Sources
- World Health Organization. Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic. WHO Technical Report Series 894, 2000.
- World Health Organization. Obesity and overweight fact sheet.
Open-source credits
The calculations are implemented in-house in TypeScript, with no third-party library. They follow the standard BMI formula and the WHO adult obesity classes listed above.