BMI calculator
With our BMI calculator, you can easily find out whether you are overweight. All you have to do is enter your current weight and height and receive your personal body mass index. Whether you're a teenager or a pensioner, find out now whether your weight poses a potential health risk.
BMI calculator
The German population is obese (BMI >30).1
annual deaths due to obesity in Germany.1
Euro costs/year due to overweight in Germany.1
The BMI
The body mass index (BMI) describes an attempt to classify body weight in relation to height. It is calculated by squaring body weight in kilograms to height in meters. The BMI then allows body weight to be categorized. We use the World Health Organization (WHO) categories in our computer. The WHO divides the various BMI into the following groups:
- critical underweight
- Untergwicht
- normal weight
- slight overweight
- overweight (obesity)
Calculating the BMI
The formula for calculating the BMI is as follows:
BMI = body weight: (height)2
Of course, it is even easier if you simply use our computer.
BMI rating
We have deliberately refrained from querying your age and gender, as the calculation is initially independent of these factors. To calculate the value, it doesn't matter whether you use the BMI calculator as a teenager or a woman over 60. Other factors can play a role in evaluating the BMI, so here is an overview of the common BMI categories and their classification by various organizations. The WHO initially assesses BMI the same regardless of gender and age.
Since other factors also play a role in calculating the BMI (e.g. men have more muscle mass on average than women), some institutions, such as the German Nutrition Society (DGE), also differentiate by gender.
The 1989 American National Research Council (NRC) table, which is frequently cited, shows that with increasing age, higher BMI values are considered normal weight. As early as the late 1970s, extensive studies showed that BMI values increase with the lowest mortality rate in old age.
Significance of the BMI
Your BMI is a simple tool for classifying your body weight in relation to your height. As a first step, you can find out whether your weight may be too high.
However, it also has some weaknesses. One of them is that neither age nor gender are taken into account. In addition, he does not differentiate in body composition. The BMI calculator therefore does not take into account the composition of your weight. If you have a lot of muscle mass, you will probably be classified as overweight.
Another metric to easily find out whether your weight poses a health risk is measuring your waist circumference.
