What the Figures Mean
According to the CDC, healthcare professionals don't use BMI to diagnose people with conditions. Yet BMI may be an indicator for overweight and obesity, which can increase your risk of health troubles such as cancer, stroke, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes, per the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

The BMI range linked with the lowest rate of illness and death is 18.5 to 24.9. But keep in mind that this BMI number isn't the be-all and end-all of your health profile, because it cannot distinguish excess fat, muscle, and bone mass. Also, it does not describe the distribution of body fat in any one person, according to the CDC.

If you're looking for a child's BMI, use BMI percentile, which estimates a child or young person's weight compared with his or her peers of the same age, height, and sex.