What BMI Is Required for Wegovy — and What Else the Prescriber Checks

You've looked up your BMI and you're wondering whether it's enough

That moment of checking a number on a calculator, then searching to see whether it qualifies, is something a lot of people go through. It can feel oddly high-stakes for a single figure. The honest answer is that your BMI tells the prescriber where to start, not where to finish.

The licensed eligibility for Wegovy in the UK sits at BMI 30 or above with no additional condition needed, or BMI 27–29.9 if you have a condition connected to your weight, things like hypertension, high cholesterol, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, or obstructive sleep apnoea. These thresholds come directly from the MHRA-approved licence for semaglutide and are described on the NHS semaglutide medicines page. They apply to the private prescription route. NHS access, as you will see below, works differently.

For some ethnic backgrounds (specifically South Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean) UK clinical guidance typically applies BMI thresholds 2.5 kg/m² lower than the standard figures. So a BMI of 27.5 with a weight-related condition may be clinically appropriate where 30 would otherwise be required. Your prescriber will apply the relevant threshold for you. If you want more detail on how these adjustments work, our page covering the Wegovy BMI requirement, including ethnic-background adjustments and how they are applied in practice, explains everything in full.

NHS Wegovy eligibility sits above the licence threshold, here is why the gap exists

NICE recommended semaglutide (Wegovy) for NHS use in 2023 under technology appraisal TA875, but with conditions that go well beyond the product licence. On the NHS, Wegovy is generally available only through specialist weight management services, for adults with a BMI of 35 or above and at least one weight-related comorbidity, and for a maximum of two years. The ethnic-background adjustment applies here too, bringing those thresholds down by 2.5 kg/m².

That means someone with a BMI of 31 and hypertension is within the licensed eligibility for Wegovy but outside current NHS criteria. The licence permits treatment; the NHS funding decision sets a narrower gate. Waiting lists for specialist services add another layer, they are commonly long, and not every area has the same capacity. This is one reason people explore the private Wegovy route through a regulated online pharmacy, where there is no referral requirement and no waitlist, as long as clinical criteria are met.

If cost is part of your thinking, it is worth reading about what Wegovy actually costs privately in the UK before making any decisions, since prices vary significantly between providers and not all of them include the same level of clinical support.

What the prescriber looks at beyond your BMI

A BMI figure alone has never been the whole picture. Once you meet the threshold, the prescriber's job is to assess whether Wegovy is appropriate for you specifically, and that involves more than a single measurement.

Medical history matters. Wegovy is not recommended during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, and should not be used by anyone trying to conceive. It is not licensed for under-18s. A personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) rules it out. Active pancreatitis or a history of certain gastrointestinal conditions requires careful discussion. Current medicines are reviewed too, because semaglutide slows gastric emptying, which can affect how other drugs are absorbed.

At nume, every consultation is read by a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber, a real clinician who reviews your answers, not automated software running a checklist. Identity is verified with photo ID, and weight is confirmed on a live video call. If you are transferring from another provider or requesting a dose increase, clinical evidence is required before that moves forward. You can read more about how our team approaches these reviews on the clinical team page.

For a fuller breakdown of the requirements beyond BMI, the Wegovy eligibility requirements page covers contraindications, transfer patients and what to expect at assessment.

One number, but not the only number

BMI has well-known limitations as a health measure, it says nothing about where fat is distributed, muscle mass, or metabolic risk. UK prescribers are aware of this. The threshold exists as a practical entry criterion, not as a verdict on your health. Someone just above 30 with no comorbidities and someone at 34 with sleep apnoea and hypertension will have very different conversations with a prescriber, even though both meet the basic figure.

That is actually the point of clinical assessment. The semaglutide BMI requirements page goes into how prescribers weigh up individual circumstances when the number sits near a boundary. If you are unsure whether your situation qualifies, the most direct route is to put your details in front of a prescriber and get a real answer rather than trying to second-guess the outcome from a calculator. Check your eligibility with a free consultation through our treatment page, and our prescribers will give you a clear picture of where you stand.