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Waist-to-Hip Ratio Calculator

WHR with WHO health-risk classifications — plus the bonus waist-to-height ratio.

Enter your measurements to see your ratios

Waist-to-hip ratio with WHO health-risk classifications, plus the bonus waist-to-height ratio (the “less than half your height” rule).

How to use this calculator

  1. 1

    Pick your units

    All measurements use the same unit (inches or cm). Pick whichever is on your tape measure.

  2. 2

    Measure your waist

    Stand relaxed. Find the midpoint between the bottom of your ribs and the top of your hip bones. Wrap the tape horizontally at that level, snug but not compressing the skin. Don't suck in. Measure at the end of a normal exhale.

  3. 3

    Measure your hips

    Wrap the tape around the widest part of your buttocks/hips, parallel to the floor. Stand with feet together.

  4. 4

    Enter your height

    Used for the bonus waist-to-height ratio output. Same unit as waist and hip.

  5. 5

    Read your results

    Your WHR appears at the top with its WHO risk band. The waist-to-height ratio appears below as a complementary metric. Both come with visual gauges showing where you sit on the published scales.

What is waist-to-hip ratio?

Waist-to-hip ratio is one of the simplest tools for capturing where body fat sits — which matters because central fat (around the waist) carries higher cardiovascular and metabolic risk than peripheral fat (around the hips and thighs). Two people with identical BMIs can have very different WHRs and very different risk profiles.

The math is trivial — divide your waist circumference by your hip circumference. Both measurements in the same unit, so the ratio comes out unitless. What gives WHR meaning is the WHO's sex-specific risk cutoffs, derived from large epidemiological studies linking central fat distribution to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.

WHO health-risk cutoffs

Risk bandMenWomen
Low<0.90<0.80
Moderate0.90–0.990.80–0.84
Increased≥1.0≥0.85

Cutoffs differ by sex because typical fat distribution differs. These are the WHO Expert Consultation thresholds (2008), still the most widely cited reference.

The bonus: waist-to-height ratio

Waist-to-height ratio (WtHR) is the “keep your waist less than half your height” rule. The math is even simpler — waist ÷ height. The thresholds are the same for everyone (no sex split).

Why surface it alongside WHR? WtHR is increasingly recommended over BMI in the NHS and elsewhere because:

  • It uses just two measurements (waist + height)
  • It works across the full BMI range
  • It accounts for height (so a 5′0″ person and a 6′6″ person aren't held to the same absolute waist target)
  • It correlates strongly with metabolic risk in large studies (Ashwell & Gibson 2016, BMJ Open)

WtHR risk bands

Risk bandWtHR range
Healthy<0.50
Increased0.50–0.59
High≥0.60

In practice

Use WHR and WtHR together. They tell complementary stories — WHR captures distribution (where fat sits relative to hips), WtHR captures central fat scaled to your stature. Both are tape-measure metrics, so consistency of technique matters more than absolute precision. Re-measure monthly with the same method to track change.

Limitations

  • Tape technique matters. A few centimetres of difference in where you place the tape will shift the result. Re-measure with the same technique each time to track change reliably.
  • Doesn't distinguish subcutaneous vs visceral fat. Two people with the same waist circumference can have very different amounts of harmful visceral fat inside the abdomen. WHR/WtHR is a proxy, not a direct measurement.
  • WHR thresholds may not fit all populations. The WHO cutoffs were derived primarily from European and North American data. East Asian, South Asian, and African populations may have different optimal thresholds — some research suggests lower cutoffs apply.
  • Not validated for pregnant women, children, or the very elderly. The cutoffs are for adults of typical body shape.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & references

Guidelines and research behind the thresholds.

  • WHO (2008). Waist Circumference and Waist-Hip Ratio: Report of a WHO Expert Consultation. Geneva, 8–11 December 2008. The canonical reference for the WHR sex-specific cutoffs used above. WHO Report
  • Ashwell M, Gibson S (2016). Waist-to-height ratio as an indicator of “early health risk”: simpler and more predictive than using a “matrix” based on BMI and waist circumference. BMJ Open 6(3):e010159. PubMed
  • NICE (UK). Obesity: identification, assessment and management (CG189). Recommends WtHR alongside BMI as an assessment tool. NICE Guideline

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