BMI Calculator Singapore: Asian BMI Cut-offs
- Underweight < 18.5
- Healthy 18.5 to 22.9
- Overweight 23 to 27.4
- Obese 27.5+
Singapore uses lower cut-offs than the WHO international scale (25 and 30), because Asians tend to carry more body fat and face higher risk of diabetes and heart disease at the same BMI. BMI does not measure muscle or where fat sits; waist size matters too.
Your BMI
22.5
- Healthy weight for your height
- 53.5 to 66.2 kg
- WHO international scale
- Normal
How this works
Body Mass Index is weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. At 170 cm and 65 kg, BMI is 65 ÷ (1.7 × 1.7) = 22.5.
Singapore's Health Promotion Board and Ministry of Health use lower cut-offs for Asian adults than the WHO international scale: below 18.5 is underweight, 18.5 to 22.9 is healthy (low risk), 23.0 to 27.4 is moderate risk and 27.5 and above is high risk of weight-related problems such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.
The healthy weight range shown is the weight that gives a BMI of 18.5 to 22.9 at your height. BMI is a screening number: it does not tell muscle from fat, and children and teens under 18 are assessed on BMI-for-age percentile charts instead of these adult cut-offs.
FAQs
What is a healthy BMI in Singapore?
18.5 to 22.9 for adults. A BMI of 23.0 to 27.4 puts you at moderate risk of weight-related health problems, and 27.5 or above at high risk, under the HPB cut-offs for Asians.
Why is Singapore's BMI cut-off lower than 25?
Asians tend to have a higher proportion of body fat, and higher risk of diabetes and heart disease, at the same BMI as Europeans. So Singapore flags risk from a BMI of 23 rather than the WHO international 25.
What is a healthy weight for 170 cm?
About 53.5 kg to 66.2 kg, which is a BMI of 18.5 to 22.9 at 1.70 m. At 160 cm the range is about 47.4 kg to 58.6 kg.
Can I use this BMI calculator for my child?
It shows a child's BMI number, but under-18s are assessed against BMI-for-age percentile charts for their sex and age, as in the HPB growth charts in the Health Booklet, not the adult cut-offs.