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What's a healthy BMI and waist in the UAE?

Check your BMI against the WHO ranges UAE health authorities use, see where it falls on the lower Asian cut-offs, and check your waist-to-height ratio.

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Height
How to measure your waist
  1. Find the bottom of your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone. Put the tape around your waist halfway between them.4
  2. Keep the tape level and snug, but not digging into your skin.4
  3. Breathe normally, and read it after you breathe out.4
Ethnic background (sets which cut-offs apply)

Adult ranges are for ages 18 and over.

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--.-BMI

Add your height and weight to see your result.

Your BMI will show on the scale above, on the WHO ranges, with the lower Asian cut-offs underneath for comparison.

Why we say this

  1. BMI is weight in kg divided by height in metres, squared.9
  2. WHO ranges, used by UAE health authorities: healthy 18.5 to 24.9, overweight 25 to 29.9, obesity 30 or more (class II from 35, class III from 40).1,12,11
  3. Lower Asian cut-offs, for comparison: a WHO expert group suggested action points of 23 (increased risk) and 27.5 (high risk) for Asian populations; Abu Dhabi's standard notes risk above a BMI of 23 for people of Asian origin.6,2
  4. Waist-to-height ratio, Abu Dhabi obesity standard (2025): 0.5 to 0.59 is increased central fat (fat around the middle), 0.6 or more is high; used for a BMI of 25 to 35.2

Sources checked 12 Oct 2026. Full list below.

How this works

BMI (body mass index) is your weight in kg divided by your height in metres, squared.9 You can type feet and inches, or pounds; we turn them into cm and kg first (1 inch = 2.54 cm, 1 pound = 0.4536 kg).

We compare your BMI with the WHO ranges: 25 to 29.9 is overweight and 30 or more is obesity.1,12 UAE health authorities use these numbers. Dubai's quality measures for obesity care use them,11 and so do the treatment rules in Abu Dhabi's and Dubai's obesity guidance.2,10

Many people in the UAE are of South Asian background, and weight-related illness starts at a lower BMI in many Asian people. A WHO expert group suggested lower action points for Asian populations, at 23 and 27.5,6 and Abu Dhabi's obesity standard notes that people of Asian origin start to incur risk above a BMI of 23.2 A study of 1.5 million people in England found South Asian adults at a BMI of about 24 had the same type 2 diabetes risk as white adults at 30.5 If you choose an Asian background, we show where your BMI falls on these lower cut-offs too. They describe risk; they don't change UAE rules.

Your waist adds what BMI misses: fat around the middle. The waist-to-height ratio divides your waist by your height, both in the same units. Abu Dhabi's standard calls 0.5 to 0.59 increased and 0.6 or more high, and uses it for a BMI of 25 to 35.2 It works the same for men and women, so we don't ask your sex. Dubai's guideline also gives Asian waist cut-offs: over 80 cm for women and over 90 cm for men.10

What it meansStandardLower Asian cut-offs (risk only)
HealthyBMI 18.5 to 24.91,12BMI 18.5 to 22.96
Overweight / increased riskBMI 25 to 29.91,12BMI 23 to 27.46
Obesity / high riskBMI 30 or more1,12BMI 27.5 or more6
Waist-to-height0.5 to 0.59 increased, 0.6 or more high (BMI 25 to 35)2

What this can't tell you

  • How much of your weight is fat or muscle.3
  • Whether extra weight is already affecting your health. That needs a check-up, not a calculator.7
  • Anything about children or teenagers, or during pregnancy.3
  • Whether you need any treatment. A licensed doctor looks at your whole health and decides with you.2,10

Questions people ask

Which BMI ranges does the UAE use?

UAE health authorities use the WHO ranges: 18.5 to 24.9 is healthy, 25 to 29.9 is overweight and 30 or more is obesity.1,11 Dubai's health authority notes that BMI cut-offs vary between ethnic groups, but its quality measures use the standard WHO numbers.11

Why show lower cut-offs for South Asian residents?

Many Asian people get weight-related illness at a lower BMI. A WHO expert group suggested lower action points for Asian populations, at 23 and 27.5.6 Abu Dhabi's obesity standard says people of Asian origin start to incur risk above a BMI of 23.2 These lower numbers describe risk only; UAE rules for treatment use the WHO ranges.

What is a healthy waist-to-height ratio?

Under 0.5, which means a waist less than half your height. Abu Dhabi's obesity standard calls 0.5 to 0.59 increased central fat (fat around the middle) and 0.6 or more high, and uses it for people with a BMI of 25 to 35.2 Dubai's guideline also gives Asian waist cut-offs: over 80 cm for women and over 90 cm for men.10

Is BMI accurate if I'm muscular or older?

Not always. BMI can't tell fat from muscle.3 Muscular people can read as overweight, and older adults who have lost muscle can have a BMI that hides extra fat.8,3 Your waist-to-height ratio helps in both cases.

Does a high BMI mean I need a weight-loss medicine?

No. BMI and waist describe health risk. UAE guidance looks at BMI together with weight-related health problems and what has already been tried, and a licensed doctor decides.2,10 The GLP-1 check shows what the labels and each emirate's rules say.

Can I use this for my child or teenager?

No. Adult BMI ranges are for people aged 18 and over. For children and teenagers, BMI is compared with growth charts for their age and sex.3 A paediatrician can plot the result.

Weight and health Your options GLP-1 check: the labels and emirate rules BMI and waist cut-offs for South Asians in the UAE What BMI do I need for weight-loss injections in the UAE? Considering it for weight

Sources

  1. World Health Organization. Obesity and overweight (fact sheet): overweight is a BMI of 25 or more, obesity 30 or more. 8 December 2025. who.int
  2. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Standard for Non-Surgical Management of Obesity, DOH/ST/HPS/Non-Surgical-MO/V1/2025, February 2025: waist-to-height ratio (0.5 to 0.59 increased central adiposity, 0.6 or more high; measured when BMI is 25 to 35) and "Some ethnic groups such as those of Asian origin start to incur risk, even in this low range (i.e., BMI >23 kg/m2)". doh.gov.ae
  3. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About body mass index (BMI): what BMI can and can't show, and BMI-for-age charts for children and teens. Updated 16 December 2025. cdc.gov
  4. World Cancer Research Fund. How to measure your waist. Checked 12 Oct 2026. wcrf.org
  5. Caleyachetty R et al. Ethnicity-specific BMI cutoffs for obesity based on type 2 diabetes risk in England: a population-based cohort study. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2021;9:419–26. doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(21)00088-7
  6. WHO Expert Consultation. Appropriate body-mass index for Asian populations and its implications for policy and intervention strategies (public health action points 23, 27.5, 32.5 and 37.5). Lancet 2004;363:157–63. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(03)15268-3
  7. Rubino F et al. Definition and diagnostic criteria of clinical obesity (Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Commission). Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2025;13:221–62. Declared interests: most of the 56 authors declare payments from Novo Nordisk, and many also from Eli Lilly (paper's own declaration). doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(24)00316-4
  8. Batsis JA, Villareal DT. Sarcopenic obesity in older adults: aetiology, epidemiology and treatment strategies. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2018;14:513–37. doi:10.1038/s41574-018-0062-9
  9. Knowler WC et al.; Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with lifestyle intervention or metformin. N Engl J Med 2002;346:393–403 (defines BMI as kg divided by metres squared). doi:10.1056/NEJMoa012512
  10. Dubai Health Authority. Clinical Guidelines for Virtual Management of Obesity, DHA/HRS/HPSD/CG-53, issue 2, effective 21 April 2024 ("In Asian females, waist circumference >80 cm (31.5 inches) and in Asian males a value >90 cm (35.4 inches) are considered abnormal"). dha.gov.ae
  11. Dubai Health Authority. Ejada KPIs and recommendations: obesity and metabolic syndrome, 2024 ("The BMI cut-offs vary in individuals of different ethnicities"; measures use BMI 25 and 30). isahd.ae
  12. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adult BMI categories (healthy weight "18.5 to less than 25"; obesity class 1 from 30, class 2 from 35, class 3 from 40). Updated 19 March 2024. cdc.gov

Last checked 12 Oct 2026 · Next review due Jan 2027

How this tool was made. Built by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above. It's general information, not medical advice. Talk to a licensed doctor before starting, stopping or changing any treatment. In an emergency, call 998 for an ambulance, or 999. How we write