What Is the Ideal Weight for Your Height?
If you searched "how much should I weigh for my height," you want a number - so here is the table first, then how to read it. These ranges come straight from the World Health Organization healthy BMI band (18.5-24.9) applied to each height.
| Height | Healthy weight | Pounds |
|---|---|---|
| 1.55 m (5'1") | 44-60 kg | 98-132 lb |
| 1.60 m (5'3") | 47-64 kg | 104-141 lb |
| 1.65 m (5'5") | 50-68 kg | 111-150 lb |
| 1.70 m (5'7") | 53-72 kg | 118-159 lb |
| 1.75 m (5'9") | 57-76 kg | 125-168 lb |
| 1.80 m (5'11") | 60-81 kg | 133-178 lb |
| 1.85 m (6'1") | 63-85 kg | 140-188 lb |
How the range is calculated
There is no magic to it: healthy weight = BMI x height (m) squared. Put in the bottom and top of the healthy band and you get a window. At 1.70 m: 18.5 x 1.70 x 1.70 = 53 kg at the low end, 24.9 x 1.70 x 1.70 = 72 kg at the top. The Ideal Weight Calculator does this for your exact height, and the BMI Calculator shows where you sit now.
Why a range beats a single "ideal weight"
Older formulas (Devine, Robinson, Miller) return one number from height and sex, but they were built for drug dosing, not body image, and they disagree with each other. Frame size, muscle, age, and how your fat is distributed all shift what is healthy - a muscular 1.80 m person can sit above the table and still be lean. A window is simply more honest than a single figure.
When the scale misleads you
Two people at the same height and weight can look and test completely differently depending on muscle and fat. If your weight is near the edge of the range, or you train hard, check body fat percentage and your waist measurement - they describe health better than weight alone.
Does the healthy range shift with age?
A little. For adults over about 65, some research links a slightly higher BMI (roughly 22-27) to better outcomes, because being underweight in older age raises the risk of frailty and fractures. For children and teens the adult numbers do not apply at all - they need age-and-sex percentile charts.