BMI and healthy waist size for Indian women: the Asian cut-offs explained

For Indian women, a healthy BMI is about 18.5 to 22.9, and a healthy waist is less than half your height. Indian guidelines count a BMI of 23 to 24.9 as overweight and 25 or more as obesity, lower than the international cut-offs of 25 and 30, because Asian Indians tend to carry more body fat, especially around the abdomen, at a given BMI. A waist of 80 cm (about 31.5 inches) or more counts as abdominal obesity for Indian women.

Why the usual BMI chart doesn’t fit Indian bodies

Most BMI charts use the WHO international cut-offs: overweight from 25, obesity from 30. In 2004 a WHO expert consultation reviewed the evidence for Asian populations and found that the share of people at high risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease was substantial at BMIs below 25. It kept the international cut-offs but proposed extra action points for Asian populations at 23 and 27.5.

Indian experts went further. Their 2009 consensus statement describes Asian Indians as prone to excess body fat, fat around the abdomen and fat stored in the liver and muscles, and concludes that the normal BMI range for Indians is narrower and lower than for white Caucasians. A 2025 update proposed two stages of obesity for Asian Indians: stage 1 is a BMI above 23; stage 2 adds a high waist size or waist-to-height ratio, together with limits on daily activities or obesity-related health problems.

BMI cut-offs at a glance

“UK, South Asian” is the NHS and NICE guidance for adults of South Asian background. The Indian and UK cut-offs differ for obesity, but both start counting overweight from a BMI of 23. Our free Superwoman Health Score uses the Indian cut-offs.

How to calculate your BMI

BMI is your weight in kilograms divided by your height in metres, squared. For example, a woman who is 158 cm (5′2″) and weighs 60 kg has a BMI of 60 ÷ (1.58 × 1.58) = 24.0. By international charts that is “healthy”; by Indian guidelines it is overweight.

Your waist: the number that matters most

BMI can’t tell where your fat is, and fat around the middle carries the most risk. A meta-analysis of studies with more than 300,000 adults found that waist-to-height ratio was better than both BMI and waist size alone at picking up diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease risk. The NHS and NICE give a simple rule: keep your waist to less than half your height.

NICE classifies waist-to-height ratio for adults of all ethnic backgrounds with a BMI under 35:

• 0.4 to 0.49: healthy, no increased health risk
• 0.5 to 0.59: increased health risk
• 0.6 or more: further increased health risk

How to measure your waist at home

1. Stand straight. Find the bottom of your ribs and the top of your hip bones.
2. Wrap a tape measure around your middle, halfway between those points. This is usually just above the belly button, not at your trouser waistband.
3. Breathe out naturally, keep the tape snug but not tight, and read the number.
4. Measure your height in the same units (both in inches, or both in centimetres) and divide your waist by your height.

Example from NICE: a waist of 38 inches and a height of 67 inches (5′7″) gives 38 ÷ 67 = 0.57, which is in the increased-risk range.

Your healthy waist by height

Indian guidelines also use a fixed cut-off: a waist of 80 cm (about 31.5 inches) or more counts as abdominal obesity in women, whatever your height.

How common is this in India?

Very. India’s national ICMR-INDIAB study, which examined more than 1 lakh adults across the country, found that 28.6% had generalised obesity and 39.5% had abdominal obesity. In other words, many more Indians carry excess fat around the waist than a BMI chart alone would show.

What these numbers can’t tell you

• They are screening tools, not a diagnosis. Only a doctor can tell you whether you have a health problem.
• Pregnancy: don’t use BMI or waist-to-height ratio while pregnant.
• Muscle and age: BMI can overestimate fat in very muscular people and is less reliable in older adults; your waist helps here.
• Eating disorders: if you have, or think you may have, an eating disorder, please don’t track these numbers; talk to a doctor.
• Under 18: children and teenagers need age-specific charts.

If your numbers are high

• Get checked. Ask your doctor about blood sugar (HbA1c or fasting glucose), blood pressure and cholesterol, especially if your waist is more than half your height. Our insulin resistance guide explains the signs to look out for.
• Aim for a small loss first. The American College of Sports Medicine notes that health risks fall with a 3% to 5% weight loss. For a 70 kg woman, that is 2 to 3.5 kg.
• Move most days, and add strength work. Build towards 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week; our dance workout for weight loss and 15-minute plan for busy mothers are easy starts.
• Eat balanced home food, not a crash diet: see our Indian diet for weight loss and belly fat guide.
• Re-measure your waist every 2 to 4 weeks. It often changes before the scale does.

If your BMI is below 18.5

A BMI under 18.5 is underweight, and weight loss should not be your goal. Talk to your doctor, especially if you have lost weight without trying. Focus on regular meals with enough protein, strength training and sleep.

Sources

1. WHO Expert Consultation. Appropriate body-mass index for Asian populations and its implications for policy and intervention strategies. Lancet. 2004;363(9403):157-63.
2. Misra A et al. Consensus statement for diagnosis of obesity, abdominal obesity and the metabolic syndrome for Asian Indians. J Assoc Physicians India. 2009;57:163-70.
3. Misra A et al. Revised definition of obesity in Asian Indians living in India. Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2025;19(1):102989.
4. NHS. Obesity (reviewed 29 April 2026): BMI ranges, lower thresholds for South Asian backgrounds, waist to height.
5. NICE. Overweight and obesity management, NG246 (published 14 January 2025, updated 8 January 2026): identifying and assessing overweight, obesity and central adiposity.
6. NHS. Calculate your waist-to-height ratio (reviewed 25 February 2025).
7. Ashwell M, Gunn P, Gibson S. Waist-to-height ratio is a better screening tool than waist circumference and BMI for adult cardiometabolic risk factors: systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Rev. 2012;13(3):275-86.
8. Anjana RM et al. Metabolic non-communicable disease health report of India: the ICMR-INDIAB national cross-sectional study (ICMR-INDIAB-17). Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2023;11(7):474-489.
9. Donnelly JE et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Appropriate physical activity intervention strategies for weight loss and prevention of weight regain for adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(2):459-71.

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