BMI of 20 — What Does It Mean?

"BMI Meaning" Calculator
What does BMI of
mean

BMI of 20 — is it good or bad?

Answer

BMI 20 for Males and Females means
Normal/Healthy Weight

WHO adult scale (18+) · not for pregnancy · the same cut-offs for women and men · BMI does not tell muscle from fat

UnderHealthyOverObese
18.5
25
30
35
40
20
1445
↑ BMI
UnderOver

WHO BMI categories (adults)

BMIWeight Category
BMI < 16Underweight/Severe thinness
16 ≤ BMI < 17Underweight/Moderate thinness
17 ≤ BMI < 18.5Underweight/Mild thinness
18.5 ≤ BMI < 25Normal/Healthy Weight
25 ≤ BMI < 30Overweight/Pre-obese
30 ≤ BMI < 35Obese/Class I
35 ≤ BMI < 40Obese/Class II
BMI ≥ 40Morbid Obesity/Class III

Screening, not a diagnosis. Children and teenagers 5–19 are read against WHO BMI-for-age; for many Asian populations WHO names lower action points, 23 and 27.5. Who the BMI scale applies to ↗ · sources: WHO, pregnancy — NHS

BMI 20 at common heights

cm · kgft/in · lbs
150 cm · 45 kg4'11" · 99 lbs
155 cm · 48.1 kg
≈ 48 kg · BMI 19.98		5'1" · 105.9 lbs
≈ 106 lbs · BMI 20.03
160 cm · 51.2 kg
≈ 51 kg · BMI 19.92		5'3" · 112.9 lbs
≈ 113 lbs · BMI 20.01
165 cm · 54.5 kg
≈ 54 kg · BMI 19.83		5'5" · 120.2 lbs
≈ 120 lbs · BMI 19.97
170 cm · 57.8 kg
≈ 58 kg · BMI 20.07		5'7" · 127.7 lbs
≈ 128 lbs · BMI 20.05
175 cm · 61.3 kg
≈ 61 kg · BMI 19.92		5'9" · 135.4 lbs
≈ 135 lbs · BMI 19.93
180 cm · 64.8 kg
≈ 65 kg · BMI 20.06		5'11" · 143.4 lbs
≈ 143 lbs · BMI 19.94
185 cm · 68.5 kg
≈ 68 kg · BMI 19.87		6'1" · 151.6 lbs
≈ 152 lbs · BMI 20.05
190 cm · 72.2 kg
≈ 72 kg · BMI 19.94		6'3" · 160 lbs

ft/in — nearest inch to the height in cm; the weight is computed for that inch.

See Also

Recalculate with different values ↑

BMI Table

BMICategory
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
19.5Normal/Healthy Weight
19.6Normal/Healthy Weight
19.7Normal/Healthy Weight
19.8Normal/Healthy Weight
19.9Normal/Healthy Weight
20Normal/Healthy Weight
20.1Normal/Healthy Weight
20.2Normal/Healthy Weight
20.3Normal/Healthy Weight
20.4Normal/Healthy Weight
20.5Normal/Healthy Weight
20.6Normal/Healthy Weight
20.7Normal/Healthy Weight
20.8Normal/Healthy Weight
20.9Normal/Healthy Weight
21Normal/Healthy Weight
21.1Normal/Healthy Weight
21.2Normal/Healthy Weight
21.3Normal/Healthy Weight
21.4Normal/Healthy Weight

FAQ

BMI of 20 — is it good or bad?

BMI 20 for Males and Females means Normal/Healthy Weight

Is BMI of 20 in the healthy range?

Yes, BMI of 20 falls into the "Normal/Healthy Weight" category. The healthy BMI range is 18.5 ≤ BMI < 25.

What weight gives a BMI of 20?

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 20 means about 127.4 lb (57.8 kg). A taller person reaches the same BMI at a proportionally higher weight.

Does a BMI of 20 mean the same for men and women?

Yes — the WHO adult scale has no separate cut-offs by sex, so a BMI of 20 reads as "Normal/Healthy Weight" for both. Age is what changes it: the adult table starts at 18, while children and teenagers aged 5–19 are compared with age- and sex-specific reference values instead.

See Also