Check your waist-to-hip and waist-to-height ratio
This waist-to-hip ratio calculator divides your waist by your hips and compares the result with the cut-offs published by the World Health Organization in 2008. It also checks your waist on its own against WHO action levels and, if you add your height, your waist-to-height ratio. A second mode, Waist-to-height ratio, needs only your waist and height and grades the result with the boundaries in NICE guideline NG246.
Fat stored around the abdomen — especially visceral fat around the organs — is more closely linked to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease than fat on the hips and thighs. Two people with the same BMI can carry very different risk depending on where that weight sits, and a tape measure is the simplest way to see it. Works in centimetres or inches.
How to measure and calculate your ratio
- Stand straight with your feet together, arms relaxed, and breathe out normally.
- Measure your waist midway between the bottom of your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone, keeping the tape level and snug.
- For the waist-to-hip ratio, measure your hips around the widest part of your buttocks. For the waist-to-height ratio, measure your height without shoes.
- Choose the measure, your sex and units, and type the numbers.
- Read the ratio and its category; in waist-to-height mode you can also compare with another limit, such as a workplace standard.
Waist-to-Hip Ratio Calculator features
WHO 2008 cut-offs
Compares your waist-to-hip ratio with the thresholds for substantially increased risk: 0.90 for men and 0.85 for women.
Waist-to-height mode
Waist and height only, graded 0.4–0.49 healthy, 0.5–0.59 increased and 0.6 or more high, as NICE recommends.
Waist action levels
Your waist alone against the WHO increased and substantially increased levels for your sex.
Personal targets
The waist at the cut-off for your hips, half your height, and the waist at any limit you enter.
Centimetres or inches
Switch units at any time and your measurements convert automatically.
Waist-to-hip ratio formula and WHO categories
WHR = waist ÷ hip circumference, both in the same unit. A woman with a 76 cm waist and 100 cm hips has a WHR of 0.76; a man with a 95 cm waist and 100 cm hips, 0.95. The 2008 WHO expert consultation on waist circumference and waist–hip ratio defined substantially increased risk of metabolic complications as a WHR of 0.90 or more in men and 0.85 or more in women, and set the waist action levels below.
| Measure | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| WHR — substantially increased risk | ≥ 0.85 | ≥ 0.90 |
| Waist — increased risk | > 80 cm (31.5 in) | > 94 cm (37 in) |
| Waist — substantially increased risk | > 88 cm (34.6 in) | > 102 cm (40.2 in) |
| Waist-to-height — healthy (NICE) | 0.4–0.49 | 0.4–0.49 |
| Waist-to-height — increased / high (NICE) | 0.5–0.59 / ≥ 0.6 | 0.5–0.59 / ≥ 0.6 |
Waist-to-height ratio calculator: keep your waist under half your height
The waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) is your waist divided by your height. The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence added it to its obesity guidance in 2022 and kept it in guideline NG246 (Overweight and obesity management, January 2025, which replaced CG189): 0.4–0.49 indicates healthy central adiposity, 0.5–0.59 increased central adiposity and increased health risk, and 0.6 or more high central adiposity with further increased risk. NICE says the bands apply to adults of either sex and any ethnicity with a BMI under 35, including people with high muscle mass; a January 2026 amendment limits WHtR to people aged 5 and over. Someone 170 cm tall should aim for a waist under 85 cm — the same simple message for men and women.
Some employers and armed forces now screen with WHtR too, using their own limits — for example 0.55 in the US Army’s 2026 standard (Army Directive 2026-13) and the Air Force’s AFMAN 36-2905 (2026). Enter such a limit in “Compare with another limit” and check the current regulation; for the Army tape and ratio rules see the body fat calculator. Need your height in centimetres? Use the height converter.
Apple or pear, and ethnicity
People who store fat mainly around the abdomen are often described as apple-shaped, those who store it on the hips and thighs as pear-shaped. Abdominal fat is linked to insulin resistance, unhealthy blood fats and higher blood pressure, which is why a high WHR matters even when BMI looks normal. For clothes-fitting shapes such as hourglass or rectangle, use the body shape calculator instead.
Waist thresholds vary by ethnicity: the International Diabetes Federation uses 90 cm or more for men and 80 cm or more for women of South Asian and Chinese origin, lower than the European figures above — relevant if you live in India or have South Asian heritage.
- Measure on bare skin or thin clothing, at the same time of day, and take two readings.
- Not suitable in pregnancy or with a large abdominal hernia; for children, ask a health professional.
Waist-to-Hip Ratio Calculator FAQ
What is a healthy waist-to-hip ratio?
Under WHO 2008 guidance, below 0.85 for women and below 0.90 for men is under the threshold for substantially increased risk.
How do I calculate my waist-to-hip ratio?
Measure your waist and hips in the same unit and divide the waist by the hips: 80 cm ÷ 100 cm = 0.80. The waist-to-hip ratio calculator above does this and shows your risk category instantly.
What is a healthy waist-to-height ratio for a male?
The same as for a female: 0.4 to 0.49, which means a waist under half your height. A man 180 cm tall is in the healthy band with a waist up to about 89 cm.
Is waist-to-hip ratio better than BMI?
They measure different things. BMI compares weight with height, while waist-based ratios show where fat is stored; using both gives a better picture than either alone.
Where exactly should I measure my waist?
Midway between the lower edge of your last rib and the top of your hip bone (iliac crest), at the end of a normal breath out — often near, but not always at, your belly button.
Are the results medical advice?
No. The calculator is a screening tool that gives estimates. If your result is in a higher-risk range, a doctor can check blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol to assess your actual risk.