Yes. Under the Asian BMI cutoffs, a BMI of 23 already counts as overweight. The World Health Organization advises lower action points for Asian populations: the healthy range ends at 22.9, increased risk begins at 23, and high risk begins at 27.5. The standard chart, which flags overweight at 25, was built mostly on European data.
That gap matters more than it looks. If your family is from Karachi or Kerala and your BMI sits at 23.5, a standard chart says you are fine. The research says you are already in the risk zone. You can get your number in about ten seconds with the free BMI calculator, then read it against the chart below.
The Asian BMI chart at a glance
BMI is weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. The formula never changes. The category boundaries do.
In 2004, a WHO expert consultation reviewed studies from across Asia and concluded that health risks climb well before a BMI of 25 in Asian populations. The resulting WHO Asian BMI classification added two action points to the familiar scale: 23 and 27.5. (For the standard bands and where they came from, see our healthy BMI range guide.)
| Category | Standard WHO cutoff | Asian cutoff |
|---|---|---|
| Underweight | Below 18.5 | Below 18.5 |
| Healthy weight | 18.5 to 24.9 | 18.5 to 22.9 |
| Overweight (increased risk) | 25 to 29.9 | 23 to 27.4 |
| Obese (high risk) | 30 and above | 27.5 and above |
Indian guidelines go a step further. A 2009 consensus statement for Asian Indians set overweight at 23 to 24.9 and obesity at 25. So a healthy BMI for Indians and Pakistanis tops out at 22.9, and a reading of 25.5 that would barely raise an eyebrow in Berlin gets an obesity label in Delhi.
Why the line sits at 23 for South Asians
Two people can share a BMI and have completely different bodies. The famous demonstration came from researchers Chittaranjan Yajnik and John Yudkin, who published a side-by-side photo of themselves. Same BMI: 22.3. Yudkin, who is British, measured 9.1 percent body fat. Yajnik, who is Indian, measured 21.2 percent. More than double, at an identical ‘healthy’ number.
Researchers call this the thin-fat phenotype. Compared with Europeans at the same BMI, South Asians tend to carry more total fat, and a bigger slice of it is visceral fat, the kind packed around the liver and other abdominal organs. Visceral fat drives insulin resistance hard. It is a major reason type 2 diabetes shows up in Indian and Pakistani patients at weights their charts call normal.
The extreme end of this even has a clinical name: normal weight obesity, where the BMI looks fine and the body composition does not. The Asian cutoffs are a blunt tool, but they are an honest correction for a chart that was never calibrated on South Asian bodies.
A worked example: 70 kg at 170 cm
Take someone 170 cm tall who weighs 70 kg.
First, convert the height to meters: 170 cm is 1.70 m. Square it: 1.70 × 1.70 = 2.89. Divide the weight by that: 70 ÷ 2.89 = 24.2.
On the standard chart, 24.2 is normal with room to spare. On the Asian chart it is overweight, and it has been since the scale crossed 66 kg, because a BMI of 22.9 at 170 cm works out to 66.2 kg. The full healthy band at this height runs from about 53.5 kg to 66 kg. Curious how that compares with what people actually weigh? Our average weight by height tables put real numbers next to the targets.
A shortcut worth memorizing: multiply your height in meters by itself, then by 23. That is the weight where you cross the Asian overweight line. For 1.70 m it is 66.5 kg. (Honestly, working it out once and writing it inside a kitchen cupboard beats recalculating every time.)
Do doctors actually use these cutoffs?
Unevenly, yes. The WHO kept 25 and 30 as the international classification, partly so statistics stay comparable across countries, and added the Asian action points as guidance for local decisions. Countries then made their own calls.
The UK’s NICE guidance applies the lower thresholds (23 for overweight, 27.5 for obesity) to adults of South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African, or African-Caribbean background. The American Diabetes Association recommends screening Asian Americans for type 2 diabetes from a BMI of 23 instead of 25. India’s 2009 consensus guidelines for Asian Indians adopted 23 and 25.
Everyday practice lags behind. Plenty of clinics in Pakistan and India still hang the standard chart on the wall, and hospital software often defaults to it. If your reading sits near 24 and diabetes runs in your family, it is fair to raise the Asian thresholds with your doctor yourself.
Stuck between 23 and 25? Measure your waist
The 23 to 25 band is the awkward zone: normal on one chart, overweight on the other. Rather than arguing with charts, add one more measurement.
Wrap a tape around your bare waist at the level of the belly button. A waist below half your height is a decent sign that visceral fat is under control; above half, the risk conversation starts regardless of what BMI says. For someone 170 cm tall, that means keeping the waist under 85 cm, about 33.5 inches. We break down when each measure earns its keep in our comparison of BMI and waist-based measures.
BMI for South Asians is a screening number, nothing more. It cannot see where your fat sits. But at zero cost and ten seconds of effort, it is still the best first filter we have.
Frequently asked questions
Is a BMI of 23 overweight for Asians?
Yes, a BMI of 23 is classed as overweight for Asian adults under the WHO’s Asian-specific cutoffs. The healthy range ends at 22.9 rather than 24.9 because Asians face higher risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease at lower BMI levels. A standard calculator still calls 23 normal, which is exactly the problem.
Why do South Asians have lower BMI cutoffs?
South Asians carry more total body fat and more visceral fat at any given BMI than people of European descent. Fat stored around the abdominal organs drives insulin resistance, so diabetes and heart disease appear at BMI levels the standard chart calls healthy. Lower cutoffs correct for that mismatch.
What is a healthy BMI range for South Asian adults?
A healthy BMI for South Asian adults is 18.5 to 22.9. From 23 to 27.4 counts as overweight, and 27.5 or above counts as obese under the WHO’s Asian action points. Indian consensus guidelines are stricter still, placing the obesity line at a BMI of 25.
What is the ‘thin-fat’ South Asian phenotype?
The thin-fat phenotype describes South Asians who look slim and have a normal BMI yet carry a high percentage of body fat, much of it visceral. In one famous comparison, researchers Yajnik and Yudkin shared an identical BMI of 22.3, but the Indian scientist had more than double the body fat.
Should I use a regular or Asian BMI calculator?
Use a regular BMI calculator, then read the result against the Asian cutoffs. The math is identical; only the category boundaries change. Any calculator that gives you a plain number works fine. If your ancestry is South Asian or East Asian, treat 23 as the start of overweight and 27.5 as the start of obesity.
Do doctors actually use the Asian BMI thresholds?
Yes, several major health bodies use the Asian BMI thresholds. The UK’s NICE guidance applies 23 and 27.5 to people of South Asian and Chinese backgrounds, and the American Diabetes Association screens Asian Americans for diabetes from a BMI of 23. Everyday clinic practice in Pakistan and India is patchier, so ask directly.
Numbers first, worry later. Run your height and weight through the free BMI calculator and read the result against 23 and 27.5 rather than the standard lines. For South Asian readers, that one change in how you read the result is the entire point.