What BMI cut-offs apply to Asian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians?

What BMI cut-offs does Australian guidance use for Asian people?

Overweight starts at 23 instead of 25, and obesity at 27.5 instead of 30. Each obesity class starts 2.5 points lower, according to the Australian Obesity Management Algorithm (AOMA).¹

Body mass index (BMI) is your weight in kilograms divided by your height in metres squared. It is a quick screen, not a diagnosis.^1,4 The AOMA is the working guide for GPs, published by the Australian Diabetes Society with obesity, surgery and GP bodies, including the RACGP.¹

BMI in kg/m². Australian Obesity Management Algorithm, Table 2, July 2024, checked 12 Oct 2026.¹

The AOMA names the groups: South Asian, South-East Asian and East Asian people.¹ It says these groups "are characterised by higher adiposity for a given BMI", meaning more body fat at the same weight for height.¹

A worked example. For someone 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) tall, a BMI of 27.5 is about 75 kg (165 lb) and a BMI of 30 is about 82 kg (181 lb), by our arithmetic. Same person, same weight, two different labels depending on which line is used.

Do the lower cut-offs apply to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people?

The AOMA recommends them, rather than setting them firmly. Its table says the cut-offs "apply to Asian population and recommended for Australian indigenous population".¹

The algorithm cites a 2003 study from the Menzies School of Health Research.^1,3 It compared healthy young adults in remote Aboriginal communities in central and northern Australia with European-background adults in Melbourne.³

• Aboriginal women had larger waists and a higher waist-to-hip ratio than European-background women.³
• Aboriginal men had a lower average BMI than European-background men, yet for the same body-fat measures their BMI was about 1.2 points higher.³
• The authors concluded that the World Health Organization BMI ranges "may be inappropriate" for Aboriginal people.³

How strong is this? It was one cross-sectional study of 397 volunteers aged 18 to 35, all with a BMI under 30.³ It did not include Torres Strait Islander people as a separate group, and it measured body fat, not later illness. That is why the AOMA says "recommended" rather than "apply".¹

Healthdirect, the government health information service, also says BMI is less reliable for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, Pacific Islanders, and South Asian, Chinese and Japanese people.⁴

Where do the numbers 23, 27.5, 32.5 and 37.5 come from?

From a World Health Organization expert group in 2004. It found many Asian people face high risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease below the usual overweight line of 25.²

The group did not set one new cut-off for all Asian people. It said the point where risk rises varies from a BMI of 22 to 25 in different Asian populations.² Instead it listed extra "action points" along the scale: 23.0, 27.5, 32.5 and 37.5.² It kept the standard WHO cut-offs for international use.²

Australia's AOMA takes those action points as its population-specific categories.^1,2 So when you see 27.5 or 32.5 in Australian guidance or a PBS decision, it traces back to that 2004 report.

What waist sizes signal risk for these groups?

For Asian people, and as recommended for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, abdominal obesity starts at a waist above 80 cm in women and 90 cm in men.¹

Australian Obesity Management Algorithm, Table 2, July 2024.¹

Waist size matters because fat around the middle tracks metabolic risk well. The AOMA says some people with a BMI in the healthy or overweight range still have abdominal obesity, especially older people who have lost muscle.¹

There is no agreed way to measure. The AOMA notes three common points (halfway between the lowest rib and the hip bone, the top of the hip bone, or the narrowest point), and says to use the same one each time.¹ Healthdirect uses the halfway point, with the tape on bare skin after breathing out.⁴

How do these cut-offs affect GLP-1 medicines and the PBS?

The medicine labels don't use them; the recommended PBS listing for Wegovy does. That listing has not started.^5,6,7,9

• The labels. Wegovy and Mounjaro are approved for weight management with a BMI of 30, or 27 with a weight-related condition. The Product Information (PI) for each gives no lower line by ethnicity.^5,6
• The recommended PBS listing. In late 2025 the PBAC recommended Wegovy for people who have had a heart attack, stroke or symptomatic peripheral arterial disease, with a BMI of 35 or more. For Asian, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people the line is 32.5.⁷
• A priority group. The PBAC named Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients with obesity-related conditions as a priority group for any future subsidised access.⁸
• Not listed yet. As of October 2026 the Wegovy listing "has not yet occurred".⁹ See Wegovy and the PBS.

Guidelines and listings describe groups of people; they don't decide for any one person. A GP weighs BMI alongside waist size, blood tests and health conditions.¹ Our guide on whether to consider a GLP‑1 covers that conversation.

What are the limits of BMI for these groups?

BMI can't tell fat from muscle, and it reads differently in different bodies. Healthdirect says it is less reliable for several groups, and its standard waist cut-offs don't apply to some non-European backgrounds.⁴

• Muscle. A muscular person can have a high BMI with little fat.⁴
• Older age. An older person can have a normal BMI but a large waist.¹
• Mixed heritage. The AOMA gives no rule for people of mixed backgrounds. We found no Australian guidance on this.
• Pregnancy and under-18s. Adult BMI bands don't apply.⁴

The AOMA uses BMI and waist together, then looks for weight-related health problems before setting any target.¹ That is a better guide than any single number.

Questions people ask

How we researched this

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