BMI Calculator for China
China is looser than its neighbours — on purpose
Under National Health Commission of the PRC — health industry standard WS/T 428's scale, China uses a normal range of BMI 18.5 – 23.9, overweight from 24.0 and obesity from 28.0.
Asian BMI Calculator
Measure at the midpoint between your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone, on a normal breath out. Needed to assess central obesity and waist-to-height ratio.
This calculator covers 11 published standards: WHO international, the WHO 2004 Asian action points, WHO Asia-Pacific, China's WS/T 428, Hong Kong Department of Health, Singapore HPB, Japan JASSO, Korea KSSO, the Misra Indian consensus and ADA 2026. BMI is a screening tool, not a diagnosis.
China BMI classification
| BMI range | Classification |
|---|---|
| < 18.5 | Underweight |
| 18.5 – < 24 | Normal |
| 24 – < 28 | Overweight |
| ≥ 28 | Obese |
Source: 国家卫生健康委员会 WS/T 428《成人体重判定》 · WS/T 428 cut-points as summarised in Chinese clinical reporting (People's Daily health feature, 2026)(WS/T 428 Criteria of weight for adults (current))
Why China's cut-points look the way they do
China's current standard sets overweight from 24.0 and obesity from 28.0. That is a full point above the WHO Asia-Pacific overweight line (23.0) and three points above its obesity line (25.0).
The difference is not an oversight. WS/T 428 was derived from Chinese national cohorts with the aim of matching cut-points to where mortality and comorbidity risk actually inflect in the mainland population, rather than importing a regional average.
The practical consequence: a BMI of 24.5 makes you "overweight" in China, "obese" under the WHO Asia-Pacific scale, and plain "normal" under the WHO international scale. Three answers, one body.
Key points
- Overweight 24.0–27.9, obesity ≥28.0 — the widest gap from the WHO Asia-Pacific scale of any standard on this page.
- Central obesity uses waist circumference, not BMI: ≥90 cm (men) / ≥85 cm (women).
- Chinese criteria are the only ones here that publish an explicit "pre-central-obesity" band.
How China compares
| Compared with | Overweight threshold | Obesity threshold |
|---|---|---|
| WHO international (global) 25 / 30 | 1.0 points lower | 2.0 points lower |
| WHO Asia-Pacific (WPRO / IASO / IOTF) 23 / 25 | 1.0 points higher | 3.0 points higher |
A BMI of 28.0 is classified as Obese in China (Obese). The same value reads differently on the WHO international scale — which is why the scale has to be named.
Waist circumference and central obesity
Central obesity is defined as a waist of 90 cm or more in men and 85 cm or more in women. A pre-central-obesity band (85–<90 cm men, 80–<85 cm women) sits below it.
Waist matters because BMI cannot see where fat sits. Two people with the same BMI can have very different visceral fat, and visceral fat is the component most strongly linked to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The ethnicity-independent screen is waist-to-height ratio: keep your waist below half your height.
All standards side by side
| Standard | Normal range | Overweight from | Obesity from | Waist / central obesity | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WHO international (global)World Health Organization | 18.5 – 24.9 | 25.0 | 30.0 | — | Primary source |
| WHO Expert Consultation 2004 (Asian populations)World Health Organization expert consultation, published in The Lancet | 18.5 – 22.9 | 23.0 | 27.5 | — | Primary source |
| WHO Asia-Pacific (WPRO / IASO / IOTF)WHO Western Pacific Regional Office, International Association for the Study of Obesity, International Obesity Task Force | 18.5 – 22.9 | 23.0 | 25.0 | — | Primary source |
| ChinaNational Health Commission of the PRC — health industry standard WS/T 428 | 18.5 – 23.9 | 24.0 | 28.0 | M ≥90cm / W ≥85cm | Primary source |
| Hong Kong, ChinaDepartment of Health, Centre for Health Protection — adopting the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office classification for Asian adults | 18.5 – < 23.0 | 23.0 | 25.0 | WHtR < 0.5 | Primary source |
| SingaporeHealth Promotion Board (HPB), Ministry of Health | 18.5 – 22.9 | 23.0 | 27.5 | M ≥90cm / W ≥80cm | Primary source |
| JapanJapan Society for the Study of Obesity (JASSO) | 18.5 – 24.9 | — | 25.0 | M ≥85cm / W ≥90cm | Primary source |
| South KoreaKorean Society for the Study of Obesity (KSSO) | 18.5 – 22.9 | 23.0 | 25.0 | M ≥90cm / W ≥85cm | Primary source |
| India and South AsiaConsensus statement for Asian Indians (Misra et al., JAPI 2009); Indian Council of Medical Research | 18.0 – 22.9 | 23.0 | 25.0 | M ≥90cm / W ≥80cm | Primary source |
| UK NICE guidance — Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern and Black African/Caribbean adultsNational Institute for Health and Care Excellence (UK), guideline NG246 | 18.5 – 22.9 | 23.0 | 27.5 | WHtR < 0.5 | Primary source |
| ADA 2026 standard for Asian populationsAmerican Diabetes Association — Standards of Care in Diabetes 2026, adult overweight and obesity | 18.5 – 22.9 | 23.0 | 27.5 | M ≥90cm / W ≥80cm | Primary source |
All 11 standards shown, each read from the issuing authority's own document (linked per row). The WHO 2004 figures of 23.0 / 27.5 are public-health action points, not a redefinition of the international categories.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is China's BMI obesity threshold 28 when Singapore's is 27.5?
- Different evidence bases and different policy choices. Singapore's 27.5 comes from the WHO Asia-Pacific / WHO 2004 high-risk action point and is framed as a risk band. China's 28.0 comes from WS/T 428, derived from Chinese national cohort data, and is framed as a weight-status classification.
- I am Chinese and my BMI is 25. Am I obese?
- Under China's WS/T 428 you are overweight (24.0–27.9), not obese. Under the WHO Asia-Pacific scale you are at the obesity line. The gap is exactly why you should state which standard you are reading — and why we show both.
- Does the Chinese standard apply to Chinese people living abroad?
- That is a judgement call. Many clinicians apply the standard of the population a person is biologically closer to, and Asian cut-points are used for anyone of Chinese descent in a growing number of guidelines. If your readings sit near a category line, measure your waist as well — a BMI of 23.5 with a 92 cm waist is a different situation from the same BMI with an 80 cm waist.
Data sources and how we verify them
Every cut-point, band and formula on this page is taken from the issuing authority's own document, listed below. We do not use second-hand summaries, and we do not fill gaps with numbers no source states.
- World Health Organization (WHO)
International cut-points (25 / 30) and the 2004 Asian action points
- National Health Commission of the PRC
China's current adult cut-points — WS/T 428 (24 / 28) and waist criteria
- Department of Health, Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong classification (23 / 25), from the Population Health Survey 2020-22
- Health Promotion Board, Singapore
Singapore's three-band risk ladder (18.5–22.9 / 23.0–27.4 / ≥27.5)
- Japan Society for the Study of Obesity (JASSO)
Japan's classification, which has no overweight tier (obesity from 25)
- Korean Society for the Study of Obesity (KSSO)
Korea's classification and abdominal-obesity waist thresholds
- Indian Council of Medical Research / Misra consensus
South Asian cut-points, including the 18.0 lower bound
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), UK
Lower ethnic-specific thresholds for Asian adults in the UK (23 / 27.5)
- American Diabetes Association (ADA)
2026 standards — Asian obesity at 27.5 and central obesity overriding BMI
Cut-points are population-level statistical thresholds, not individual diagnoses. If your value sits near a category line, measure your waist as well and read it alongside body-fat percentage. Last checked: 2026-09-15.
Sources
- 国家卫生健康委员会 WS/T 428《成人体重判定》
- WS/T 428 cut-points as summarised in Chinese clinical reporting (People's Daily health feature, 2026)
Every figure above was checked against the original document. This page is general information, not medical advice.
Other countries and regions
Health Information Disclaimer
Content on this site is for general information only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a doctor or qualified health professional for personal health concerns. Last updated: August 9, 2026.
We do not keep your information. Height, weight, waist and age are calculated entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded to our servers, logged or stored, and the numbers are gone as soon as you close or refresh the page. We measure anonymous traffic only, never the values you type. Full detail in our Privacy Policy.
Standard documented on this page: National Health Commission of the PRC — health industry standard WS/T 428 — WS/T 428 Criteria of weight for adults (current). This site documents 11 published standards; figures are read from each authority's own document.