A woman who is 5’2″ generally falls within a healthy weight range of about 104 to 131 pounds, based on a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9. Clinical formulas designed to estimate a single “ideal” number put it between 110 and 123 pounds, depending on the formula used. But these figures are starting points, not verdicts. Your actual healthiest weight depends on your age, body composition, ethnicity, and how your body distributes fat.
The Standard Healthy Range
The CDC classifies a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 as “healthy weight” for adults 20 and older. For someone who is 5’2″, that translates to roughly 104 to 131 pounds. Below 104 pounds registers as underweight, while 136 pounds and above crosses into the overweight category.
Three widely used clinical formulas narrow that range to a single target number. The Devine formula, the oldest and most commonly referenced, produces an ideal weight of about 110 pounds for a 5’2″ woman. The Robinson formula lands at roughly 115 pounds, and the Miller formula at about 123 pounds. These formulas were originally developed for medication dosing, not as health benchmarks, which is why they can vary by more than 10 pounds from each other. Most clinicians treat them as rough guides rather than goals.
Why Body Composition Matters More Than the Scale
BMI cannot tell the difference between muscle and fat. Two women at 5’2″ and 135 pounds can look and feel completely different if one carries more muscle and the other carries more body fat. Research on female college athletes found that 16% were falsely classified as overweight or obese by BMI alone, despite having healthy body fat levels. Athletes in the study had about 4.4% less body fat than non-athletes at statistically similar BMIs.
For women, body fat above roughly 35% corresponds to obesity in younger adults, while the 21 to 33% range is generally considered healthy depending on age. Body fat naturally increases with age: women in their late 40s average around 30%, and by the late 50s that figure can reach 43% on average. This is one reason the number on the scale becomes less meaningful as you get older.
A Simple Measurement That Adds Context
If you want a quick check that goes beyond weight, measure your waist. The NHS recommends keeping your waist circumference below half your height. At 5’2″ (62 inches), that means a waist measurement under 31 inches. Waist size reflects visceral fat, the kind packed around your organs, which drives metabolic risk more than the fat stored in your hips or thighs. You can be within a “normal” BMI range and still carry too much visceral fat, or you can weigh more than the charts suggest and have a perfectly healthy waist measurement.
How Age Shifts the Target
The standard BMI categories were designed primarily with younger and middle-aged adults in mind. For women over 65, the picture changes. Research published in the Annals of Geriatric Medicine and Research found that older adults with a BMI below 25 faced higher risks of falls, reduced muscle strength, gait problems, and malnutrition. The study suggested that older women may actually function best at a BMI of 31 to 32, which for a 5’2″ woman translates to roughly 170 to 175 pounds.
That number sounds high by standard charts, but it reflects a real tradeoff. In older adults, carrying some extra weight provides a reserve against illness, protects bones during falls, and correlates with better preservation of muscle mass. Losing weight aggressively after 65 can strip away muscle along with fat, accelerating frailty. The “ideal” weight for a 5’2″ woman at 70 is genuinely different from the ideal at 30.
Ethnicity Changes the Risk Thresholds
Standard BMI cutoffs were established using data from predominantly white populations, and they don’t apply equally across ethnic groups. A large multicountry study found that South Asian women develop type 2 diabetes at the same rate as white women classified as obese, but at a BMI of just 23.3 instead of 30. For Chinese women, the equivalent threshold was even lower, around 22.7. For Black women, the threshold was higher at about 25.9.
In practical terms, a 5’2″ South Asian woman at 127 pounds faces roughly the same diabetes risk as a white woman at 164 pounds. If you are of South Asian, East Asian, or Southeast Asian descent, a healthy weight target for your height may be closer to the lower end of the BMI range, around 104 to 120 pounds, rather than the full span up to 131.
Putting It All Together
The short answer is 104 to 131 pounds for a 5’2″ woman using standard BMI guidelines, with clinical formulas suggesting 110 to 123 pounds as a midpoint. But the more useful answer depends on your circumstances. A 25-year-old South Asian woman and a 70-year-old Black woman who are both 5’2″ have genuinely different healthy weight ranges, potentially separated by 50 pounds or more. Waist circumference (under 31 inches at your height) and body fat percentage give you a more complete picture than the scale alone. If you’re active, feel strong, and your waist measurement is in a healthy range, a number slightly above or below the textbook range may be exactly where your body belongs.