Body Mass Index for child
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on your height and weight. You can either consult the BMI chart for children or use the BMI calculator provided below to determine your body mass index.
Body Mass Index calculator
Enter your weight, height, age, and gender using standard or metric units in the BMI calculator below:
This BMI calculator for children is not intended to replace the evaluation of a healthcare professional. Healthy BMI ranges are based on the 50th percentile of height, and that a child's BMI can be affected by a variety of factors, including genetics, diet, and physical activity levels.
What is a good BMI for children?
For children, a healthy BMI (body mass index) is determined using growth charts that are specifically designed for children and take into account their age and sex. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides these charts, which take into account changes in body composition as children grow and develop.
A healthy BMI for children is typically defined as falling between the 5th and 85th percentiles on the CDC growth charts. A BMI between the 85th and 95th percentiles is considered overweight, and a BMI at or above the 95th percentile is considered obese.
Additionally, children who are highly active or have a lot of muscle mass may have a higher BMI without being overweight or obese. It's important to note that BMI is just one indicator of health, and it should be used in conjunction with other measures, such as waist circumference and overall health status, to determine if a child is at a healthy weight.
Therefore, it's always best to consult with a healthcare provider to determine what is a healthy weight for your child's individual circumstances.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have established the following categories for children (boys and girls) based on their Body Mass Index (BMI):
Healthy BMI for children
| Age | Healthy BMI range | Gender and percentile |
|---|---|---|
| 3 years old | 14.4 and 18.2 | Boy or girl in the 50th percentile of height |
| 4 years old | 14.1 and 18.1 | Boy or girl in the 50th percentile of height |
| 5 years old | 14.0 and 18.0 | Boy or girl in the 50th percentile of height |
| 6 years old | 13.9 and 18.0 | Boy or girl in the 50th percentile of height |
| 7 years old | 13.9 and 18.1 | Boy or girl in the 50th percentile of height |
| 8 years old | 14.4 and 20.2 | Boy or girl in the 50th percentile of height |
| 9 years old | 14.5 and 20.3 | Boy or girl in the 50th percentile of height |
| 10 years old | 14.7 and 20.5 | Boy or girl in the 50th percentile of height |
| 11 years old | 15.0 and 20.9 | Boy or girl in the 50th percentile of height |
| 12 years old | 15.3 and 21.5 | Boy or girl in the 50th percentile of height |
BMI chart children
Find below a children BMI chart for boys and girls:
Use the links below to see detailed BMI charts by gender and age:
bmi chart women bmi chart men bmi chart teenagers bmi chart for women by age bmi chart for men by ageChild BMI calculator complexity
As a result, using a BMI calculator (BMI calculator children) as the sole indicator of a child’s health status can be challenging compared to an adult. That's because BMI doesn't take into account factors like muscle mass, bone density, and the distribution of fat throughout the body.
According to the World Health Organization, to address these concerns, BMI calculations for children are based on percentiles that are adjusted for age and gender. When a healthcare provider calculates a child's BMI, they will use the child's age, gender, height, and weight to determine their BMI percentile. The BMI percentile indicates the percentage of children or children of the same age and gender who have a lower BMI than the child being evaluated.