A healthy weight can depend on many factors, including your age, sex, muscle mass, bone mass, and lifestyle. Some measures, like body mass index (BMI), do not take all of these measures into account.
There’s no perfect formula to find your ideal body weight because it’s influenced by many factors,
- height
- genetics
- sex assigned at birth
- sleep
- activity level
- body composition
- underlying health conditions
- whether you take any medications
When calculating ideal weight for adults, age isn’t typically a factor because people of the same age vary widely in height, shape, and size. What’s best for you may not be best for someone else your age.
However, age is a factor when calculating the ideal weight for children and teenagers ages
Keep reading to learn more about how to calculate and identify your ideal weight.
Body mass index (BMI) is an approximate calculation of your body mass, which is used to predict your amount of body fat based on your height in inches and weight in pounds (lbs).
BMI numbers range from low to high and fall into
| Category | BMI range |
|---|---|
| Underweight | less than 18.5 |
| Moderate weight | 18.5 to 25 |
| Overweight | 25 to 30 |
| Obese | • class 1: 30 to 35 • class 2: 35 to 40 • class 3: 40 or greater |
To calculate your BMI, divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared. Multiply that result by 703.
You can also enter this information into the BMI calculator below.
Here’s a look at a BMI chart by height according to the
| BMI range | 18.5 to 24.9 | 25 to 29.9 | 30 to 34.9 | 35 to 39.9 | 40 or greater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Height (inches) | |||||
| 58 | 91 to 115 lbs | 119 to 138 lbs | 143 to 162 lbs | 167 to 186 lbs | ≥ 191 lbs |
| 59 | 94 to 119 lbs | 124 to 143 lbs | 148 to 168 lbs | 173 to 193 lbs | ≥ 198 lbs |
| 60 | 97 to 123 lbs | 128 to 148 lbs | 153 to 174 lbs | 179 to 199 lbs | ≥ 204 lbs |
| 61 | 100 to 127 lbs | 132 to 153 lbs | 158 to 180 lbs | 185 to 206 lbs | ≥ 211 lbs |
| 62 | 104 to 131 lbs | 136 to 158 lbs | 164 to 186 lbs | 191 to 213 lbs | ≥ 218 lbs |
| 63 | 107 to 135 lbs | 141 to 163 lbs | 169 to 191 lbs | 197 to 220 lbs | ≥ 225 lbs |
| 64 | 110 to 140 lbs | 145 to 169 lbs | 174 to 197 lbs | 204 to 227 lbs | ≥ 232 lbs |
| 65 | 114 to 144 lbs | 150 to 174 lbs | 180 to 204 lbs | 210 to 234 lbs | ≥ 240 lbs |
| 66 | 118 to 148 lbs | 155 to 179 lbs | 186 to 210 lbs | 216 to 241 lbs | ≥ 247 lbs |
| 67 | 121 to 153 lbs | 159 to 185 lbs | 191 to 217 lbs | 223 to 249 lbs | ≥ 255 lbs |
| 68 | 125 to 158 lbs | 164 to 190 lbs | 197 to 223 lbs | 230 to 256 lbs | ≥ 262 lbs |
| 69 | 128 to 162 lbs | 169 to 196 lbs | 203 to 230 lbs | 236 to 263 lbs | ≥ 270 lbs |
| 70 | 132 to 167 lbs | 174 to 202 lbs | 209 to 236 lbs | 243 to 271 lbs | ≥ 278 lbs |
| 71 | 136 to 172 lbs | 179 to 208 lbs | 215 to 243 lbs | 250 to 279 lbs | ≥ 286 lbs |
| 72 | 140 to 177 lbs | 184 to 213 lbs | 221 to 250 lbs | 258 to 287 lbs | ≥ 294 lbs |
| 73 | 144 to 182 lbs | 189 to 219 lbs | 227 to 257 lbs | 265 to 195 lbs | ≥ 302 lbs |
| 74 | 148 to 186 lbs | 194 to 225 lbs | 233 to 264 lbs | 272 to 303 lbs | ≥ 311 lbs |
| 75 | 152 to 192 lbs | 200 to 232 lbs | 240 to 272 lbs | 279 to 311 lbs | ≥ 319 lbs |
| 76 | 156 to 197 lbs | 205 to 238 lbs | 246 to 279 lbs | 287 to 320 lbs | ≥ 328 lbs |
BMI for people ages
You can use the
This number can then be plotted on a chart for
For instance, a 5-year-old boy at the
Like BMI for adults, the NHLBI classifies BMI for children into several categories:
| Category | BMI percentile |
|---|---|
| Underweight | below 5th percentile |
| Healthy weight | 5th to 85th percentile |
| Overweight | 85th to 95th percentile |
| Obesity | above 95th percentile |
BMI isn’t the only measurement
It’s helpful that BMI numbers are standardized and offer ranges of moderate body weights by height. However, BMI is only one measure and doesn’t tell the whole story.
BMI calculations don’t consider several physical, lifestyle, and medical factors that could influence your body weight.
For instance, it doesn’t consider differences in bone, muscle, and fat mass between age groups and sex assigned at birth.
This means an active person with a lot of muscle could be misclassified as having overweight or obese. Similarly, a person with lower muscle or bone mass may be misclassified as underweight if they have high body fat levels. In other words, BMI could
BMI cutoffs were also designed by a mathematician based on a white male European population and may be inaccurate for other races and ethnicities.
BMI may be helpful for assessing health risks at the population level, but it’s important for individuals to perform several tests to determine the ideal weight for their age and height.
Learn more about the downsides of BMI.
The waist-to-height ratio is another tool to help determine the amount of fat around your waist and whether you have a moderate weight for your height.
Measuring your waist circumference aims to
Subcutaneous fat, on the other hand, is a type of fat stored under your skin and is responsible for storing energy.
Where you store fat is important for assessing health risks, and BMI can’t tell you this.
According to the British Heart Foundation, having more fat around your waist is associated with health conditions, such as:
- diabetes
- heart disease
- circulation problems
Here’s how to measure your waist-to-height ratio at home:
- Stand up tall.
- Wrap a tape measure around your body between your ribs and hips.
- Make sure the tape measure is snug against your skin, but not digging in.
- Make note of the measurement, either in centimeters or inches.
- Measure your height in the same metric unit.
- Divide your waist measurement by your height.
A 6-foot-tall person (72 inches) with a waist measurement of 36 inches would have a ratio of 0.5.
Research suggests that if your waist measurement is more than
A
Calculating your waist-to-hip (WHR) ratio is a third tool to help determine whether you have a moderate weight.
Similar to the waist-to-height ratio, a higher WHR is
A healthy WHR ratio for males is below 0.95, and for females, 0.85.
Some
That said, the WHR ratio is not a good tool for everyone, including children, pregnant people, and those who are shorter than average.
Learn more about WHR vs. BMI.
Calculating your body fat percentage may provide the most accurate measurement of how much fat you have.
Methods to assess body fat percentage may include:
- bioelectrical impedance scales
- DEXA scan
- hydrostatic weighing
- using skin fold calipers
Some at-home tools are available to do this. However, these aren’t consistently accurate.
It’s best to work with a healthcare professional.
Learn more about how to calculate your body fat percentage.
What is the correct weight according to age?
There’s no correct weight according to age because people of a single age could vary widely in height, shape, and size. A healthcare professional could help determine a moderate weight for you.
How do you calculate weight for age?
Age isn’t typically a factor when calculating weight for adults. However, some ways to determine whether you have a moderate weight for your height include waist-to-height ratio, waist-to-height ratio, BMI, and body fat percentage.
There’s no perfect way to determine your ideal weight, as it depends on many factors. These factors include your body fat percentage and distribution, as well as your age, height, and sex assigned at birth.
Speak with a healthcare professional if you’re unsure about how much you should weigh. They could help you determine your moderate weight and develop a plan to achieve your weight goals.
