How to Calculate BMI in Metric Units

Outside of the US, height and weight are measured in the metric units of meters and kilograms. (Metric units are also called SI units.)

If you want to calculate your body mass index, BMI for short, you can do it with metric measurements and these steps below.

Instructions

• 1

  Find your weight in kilograms. Call this number w.

• 2

  Find your height in meters, m, and square it to find m².

• 3

  Now, divide w by m². That's it! In metric units, BMI = w/m².

  For example, if a man or woman weighs 75 kg and is 1.65 meters tall, then his or her BMI is 75/(1.72²) = 75/2.7225 = 27.6. According to a BMI chart, any body mass index between 25 and 30 is overweight.

• 4

  Using the fact that 1 kg = 2.205 lbs and 1 meter = 39.37 inches, you can also calculate BMI in non-SI (non-metric) units:

  BMI = (703)(weight in lbs)/(height in inches)²

• 5

  To help you interpret your BMI results, use this guide:

  below 16.5 = severely underweight
  16.5 to 18.4 = underweight
  18.5 to 24.9 = healthy
  25 to 30 = overweight
  30.1 to 40 = obese
  above 40 = morbidly obese