What Is the Body Adiposity Index?

The Body Adiposity Index was developed in 2011 as an alternative to BMI that estimates body fat percentage directly from hip circumference and height. Unlike BMI which uses weight, BAI skips the scale entirely — making it useful when accurate weight measurement isn’t available.

The formula is: BAI = (Hip circumference in cm / Height in meters^1.5) − 18.

How Does BAI Compare to Other Methods?

BAI performs best for Hispanic and African American populations, for whom it was originally validated. For other groups it can underestimate body fat in lean individuals and overestimate in very muscular people. It works best as one data point alongside BMI or circumference measurements.

What Is a Healthy BAI?

For women aged 20–39, healthy BAI falls between 21–33%. For men 20–39, it’s 8–21%. These ranges increase slightly with age.