Weight-loss eligibility & BMI checker
A three-step self-check — about you, your measurements, and a short safety check — that tells you whether you're likely to meet the general criteria UK weight-loss services use. It's information, not a medical assessment, and it never names or recommends a medicine.
Information, not medical advice
This is information, not medical advice or a diagnosis. It doesn't recommend any specific treatment or medicine. Only a regulated clinician can decide what's suitable for you.
This checker needs JavaScript to run. The NHS BMI calculator works without it.
Looking for a specific case? Read what the thresholds say at a BMI of 27 or with type 2 diabetes.
What the thresholds actually are.
These are the published NHS and NICE reference points UK weight-management services work from. A clinician applies them to your full picture, not your BMI alone.
The usual starting point for clinical weight-management services in the UK, whatever your other health picture looks like.
Services can consider this range where there is also a weight-related health condition, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnoea or PCOS.
NICE sets lower thresholds for people from South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African and African-Caribbean backgrounds, because health risks can start at a lower BMI: 27.5, or 24.5 with a related condition.
This checker is for adults aged 18 or over. BMI works differently for children and during pregnancy, and the NHS has separate tools for both.
Three calm ways forward.
Whatever your number says, none of these routes commits you to anything.
Compare regulated providers
See what UK online clinics charge and include for weight-loss services, sorted by price. Every provider assesses eligibility itself, in a consultation.
Compare weight-loss providers →Read how the services work
Understand what an online consultation involves and how we compare providers before you go near a checkout.
How we work →Talk to your GP or the NHS
NHS weight-management support is free, and your GP can refer you to local services. For many people this is the right first step.
NHS weight-loss support →BMI and eligibility, answered plainly.
What BMI do I need for a weight-loss service in the UK?
Most UK services work from a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 to 29.9 alongside a weight-related health condition such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure. NICE sets lower reference points, 27.5 and 24.5, for people from some ethnic backgrounds. The final decision always sits with a regulated clinician.
Does this checker tell me whether I qualify?
No. It shows your BMI against the published NHS and NICE reference points and explains what people in each range typically find. Only a clinician can assess eligibility, and every regulated provider runs its own consultation before agreeing to treat anyone.
Why does my ethnic background change the thresholds?
Research behind the NICE guidance shows that people from South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African and African-Caribbean backgrounds can face weight-related health risks at a lower BMI. NICE therefore lowers its reference points for these groups. Answering is optional and your answer stays in your browser.
Is anything I enter stored or shared?
No, unless you choose to. The whole calculation runs in your browser and nothing is ever sent to us or logged anywhere. On the result screen you can tick a box to save your height, weight and answers on this device only, so the checker can prefill them next time — leave it unticked and nothing is stored at all. Like every page here, optional analytics (which counts page visits, never your answers) runs only if you opt in via the cookie banner.
Is BMI a fair measure on its own?
It's a useful screening number, not a full picture. BMI can overstate risk for muscular people and understate it for others, which is one reason clinicians look at waist measurement, health history and more before making any decision.
Sources.
The thresholds on this page come from published UK guidance.