BMI of 18 — What Does It Mean?

"BMI Meaning" Calculator
What does BMI of
mean

BMI of 18 — is it good or bad?

Answer

BMI 18 for Males and Females means
Underweight/Mild thinness
BMI 18 is 0.5 points less than Healthy BMI Range starts (18.5 - 24.9)
Note: BMI is a general screening tool and does not diagnose body fatness or health. Consult a healthcare professional for a personal assessment.
16
17
18.5
25
30
35
40
18
BMI 18 on the Body Mass Index Scale

BMI Table

For adults over the age of 20 years, BMI values are grouped* into the following weight status categories:

BMIWeight Category
< 16Underweight/Severe thinness
16 - 16.9Underweight/Moderate thinness
17 - 18.4Underweight/Mild thinness
18.5 - 24.9Normal/Healthy Weight
25 - 29.9Overweight/Pre-obese
30 - 34.9Obese/Class I
35 - 39.9Obese/Class II
≥ 40Morbid Obesity/Class III

*according to The World Health Organization (WHO)

See Also

About "BMI Meaning" Calculator

This calculator will help you to find out what the given BMI means. For example, it can help you find out BMI of 18 — is it good or bad? (The answer is: Underweight/Mild thinness). Enter Body Mass Index (e.g. 18) and hit the 'Find out' button.
"BMI Meaning" Calculator
What does BMI of
mean

BMI Table

BMICategory
16.5Underweight/Moderate thinness
16.6Underweight/Moderate thinness
16.7Underweight/Moderate thinness
16.8Underweight/Moderate thinness
16.9Underweight/Moderate thinness
17Underweight/Mild thinness
17.1Underweight/Mild thinness
17.2Underweight/Mild thinness
17.3Underweight/Mild thinness
17.4Underweight/Mild thinness
17.5Underweight/Mild thinness
17.6Underweight/Mild thinness
17.7Underweight/Mild thinness
17.8Underweight/Mild thinness
17.9Underweight/Mild thinness
18Underweight/Mild thinness
18.1Underweight/Mild thinness
18.2Underweight/Mild thinness
18.3Underweight/Mild thinness
18.4Underweight/Mild thinness
18.5Normal/Healthy Weight
18.6Normal/Healthy Weight
18.7Normal/Healthy Weight
18.8Normal/Healthy Weight
18.9Normal/Healthy Weight
19Normal/Healthy Weight
19.1Normal/Healthy Weight
19.2Normal/Healthy Weight
19.3Normal/Healthy Weight
19.4Normal/Healthy Weight

FAQ

BMI of 18 — is it good or bad?

BMI 18 for Males and Females means Underweight/Mild thinness

Is BMI of 18 dangerous?

BMI of 18 falls into the "Underweight/Mild thinness" category. A BMI below 18.5 may indicate insufficient body weight. Consult a healthcare professional for personalized advice.

What weight gives a BMI of 18?

BMI is weight divided by height in metres squared, so it names a weight only once the height is fixed: at 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) a BMI of 18 means about 114.7 lb (52 kg). A taller person reaches the same BMI at a proportionally higher weight.

Does a BMI of 18 mean the same for men and women?

Yes — the WHO adult scale has no separate cut-offs by sex, so a BMI of 18 reads as "Underweight/Mild thinness" for both. Age is what changes it: the same table applies from 18 to 65, while children and teenagers are compared with age-and-sex percentiles instead.