Waist-to-Hip Ratio Calculator
Where you carry weight matters more than how much. Waist-to-hip and waist-to-height, with WHO risk bands.
Two people with identical BMIs can have very different risks depending on where the weight sits. Fat around the middle sits next to the liver and behaves differently from fat on the hips and thighs, and a tape measure picks that up in a way the bathroom scale cannot.
How this is worked out
The WHO puts substantially increased risk at a waist-to-hip ratio above 0.90 for men and above 0.85 for women. Raw waist circumference matters on its own too: above 102 cm for men and 88 cm for women in European-origin populations, and above 90 cm and 80 cm for South Asian populations, which is the threshold used in India.
Waist-to-height is the simplest of the three and travels best across ages and ethnicities. The rule of thumb is to keep your waist under half your height — a ratio below 0.5. Above 0.6 is generally treated as high risk.
This calculator runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is transmitted to us, saved on our servers, or shared with anyone.
Common questions
Where exactly should I measure my waist?
Halfway between the bottom of your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone, which for most people is slightly above the navel. Stand relaxed, breathe out, and do not pull the tape into the skin.
Is waist-to-hip better than BMI?
For predicting heart and metabolic risk, measures of central fat generally outperform BMI. The two answer different questions, so it is worth knowing both.