What is BMI?

Body Mass Index (BMI) is an international, clinical screening metric used to estimate a person's general body fatness and leanness. Developed in the 19th century by Belgian mathematician Adolphe Quetelet, it evaluates weight in kilograms relative to the square of a person's height in meters (kg/m²).

The Science & Formulas

Under metric rules, the calculation follows a basic division equation: Weight (kg) / [Height (m)]². To process US customary units, weight in pounds is divided by height in inches squared, multiplied by the clinical constant 703.

What BMI Does NOT Measure

While BMI serves as a robust initial health indicator, it represents a generic mass correlation. It does not directly calculate actual body fat percentage, muscle mass distribution, bone density, or metabolic profile health markers.