New BMI Calculator

Not yet. The World Health Organization (WHO) and CDC still use the standard kg/m² formula for simplicity and historical consistency. However, the Oxford formula is widely regarded by mathematicians and physiologists as a more accurate reflection of human scaling physics, making it a better personal metric for very tall or short individuals.

No. Like standard BMI, the Oxford formula is based purely on Height and Weight. It cannot distinguish between 200lbs of muscle and 200lbs of fat. If you are an athlete or bodybuilder, you should use the Body Fat Percentage (Navy Method) or Waist-to-Height Ratio calculator instead.

For a 6'0" (1.83m) person, the Oxford formula typically lowers the BMI score by about 1.0 to 1.5 points compared to the standard calculation. This can often be enough to move someone from the "Overweight" category (BMI 25.1) back into the "Healthy" category (BMI 24.5).

It was created in the 1840s by Adolphe Quetelet. In the 19th century, calculators didn't exist, so squaring a number (height × height) was easy for doctors to do by hand. Calculating to the power of 2.5 was practically impossible without computers, so the "simple but slightly wrong" version stuck.

The cutoff points remain the same as standard BMI. 18.5 to 24.9 is considered Healthy Weight. 25.0 to 29.9 is Overweight. The definitions don't change; only your score changes to place you more accurately within those zones.