BRI: Calculate Your Body Roundness Index
Use our BRI calculator to find out where you are on the Body Roundness Index and what it means for your weight loss journey.
Body Roundness Index Calculator
Calculate your body roundness index to assess body fat distribution and health risks
Adding hip measurement improves accuracy
Adding hip measurement improves accuracy
How to measure:
Waist: Measure around your natural waistline, typically just above the belly button.
Hip: Measure around the widest part of your hips and buttocks.
Your Body Roundness Index
BRI Scale
What This Means for Your Health
Health Risk Level:
The Body Roundness Index (BRI) is a validated measure that assesses body fat distribution and visceral adiposity, which are strong predictors of metabolic health and cardiovascular risk.
How does this BRI calculator work?
Our BRI calculator will ask for your height, weight, and waist circumference, with an optional field for your hip circumference. It will then calculate your BRI number.
It will tell you where you sit on the BRI scale and what this means in terms of risk to your health. You can use this number to track how your weight loss may be reducing your risk of weight-related health conditions.
What is the Body Roundness Index (BRI)?
The Body Roundness Index (BRI) estimates body fat distribution by looking at your height and waist measurements. Rather than just telling you whether you fall into a weight category, BRI gives an idea of how much fat is being carried around the middle of the body, where it may have a greater impact on your health.
How is BRI calculated?
BRI is calculated using your height and waist circumference. These measurements are used in a formula that gives a score based on how “round” your body shape is compared to your height. Most people use a calculator rather than working it out manually.
If you want to use the formula, it looks like this:
How accurate is the Body Roundness Index?
While no formula can measure body fat perfectly without a scan, BRI is considered more useful than BMI for providing a better indication of abdominal fat, which is linked to conditions like diabetes and heart disease. However, it should still be interpreted alongside other health checks. We always recommend looking at your BMI alongside speaking to a clinician about your weight to get the clearest picture possible.
What does my BRI score mean?
A lower BRI score suggests a leaner body composition with less fat stored around the waist. A higher score indicates more abdominal fat, which can increase the risk of certain health problems.
Important: BRI does not give a diagnosis, but it can give you a clear picture of whether you need to take more steps towards improving your weight.
What is a healthy BRI range?
There is no single “healthy number” for everyone, but most research suggests that a lower BRI score, generally below 4 in women and below 3.5 in men, may be associated with lower health risks. When building a complete picture of your health situation, your clinician may interpret your score alongside other markers such as waist-to-height ratio, blood tests, and blood pressure.
BRI vs BMI: What’s the difference?
BMI only uses height and body weight, so it cannot show where fat is stored. BRI focuses on waist measurement, giving a clearer view of fat around your abdomen, which is more often linked to health risks than overall body weight alone.
How does BRI relate to body fat and visceral fat?
A high BRI score usually indicates a larger amount of visceral fat, which is fat stored deeper in the abdomen around organs like the liver and pancreas. This type of fat is more closely linked to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease compared to fat stored elsewhere.
Why is BRI important for weight management and health?
As BRI helps show how much fat you store around your waist, it can help you understand the risks to your health that your weight carries. This makes it a helpful tool for monitoring weight loss from the perspective of improving your health, and reducing things like visceral fat to prevent or help with weight related health conditions.
Can BRI help me understand my risk of obesity-related diseases?
Yes. A higher BRI score often means a greater risk of weight-related health conditions like type 2 diabetes or heart disease. While it’s not used for diagnosis, it can be a helpful indicator that it’s time to make some lifestyle changes or look into clinically supported weight loss with treatments like Mounjaro and Wegovy.
How can I improve my BRI score?
The best way to improve your BRI score is to lose weight. As you lose weight, you naturally reduce your waist circumference which has the biggest impact on your BRI score.
Do I need to know my BRI before starting weight loss medication?
No. Your BMI and medical history are used first to assess whether a weight loss treatment is suitable. However, BRI can be a helpful additional tool to understand where fat is stored and may be used to monitor changes during treatment. It’s also a great way to see how the weight loss you’re achieving is improving your health.
Can I use BRI to track my progress over time?
Yes. Tracking BRI alongside your weight and waist measurements can give a more balanced view of your progress, especially if the scales slow down during maintenance or strength training phases.
How does BRI fit into NHS or clinical guidelines?
The NHS primarily uses BMI and waist circumference for assessment. However, BRI follows the same principle as the waist-to-height ratio method, which is becoming more recognised for diagnosis and checking the health risks of weight gain rather than BMI alone. BRI simply packages all of that information into an easy-to-understand score.
What are the limitations of BRI?
BRI does not account for muscle mass, hydration, or body structure differences in the same way that a scan would. It should be used as a guide rather than a diagnosis, always alongside professional medical advice, blood markers, and clinical review.
