Waist-to-hip ratio calculator
Where you store fat matters as much as how much: fat around the abdomen is linked to a higher risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. These three measures show it with just a tape measure.
Around the widest part of the buttocks.
Waist-to-hip ratio
0.90
Substantially increased risk
Waist circumference
88.0 cm
Low risk
Waist-to-height ratio
0.49
Low risk
The cut-offs
According to the WHO, a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.90 or more for men, or 0.85 or more for women, indicates a substantially increased risk of metabolic complications.
The WHO also uses waist circumference: above 94 cm (men) or 80 cm (women) means increased risk, above 102 cm or 88 cm substantially increased risk. These values were set for people of European descent; lower cut-offs are recommended for some Asian populations.
The waist-to-height ratio has a simple rule: keep your waist to less than half your height (a ratio below 0.5). A ratio of 0.6 or more indicates a much higher risk.
How to measure
Waist: midway between the lowest rib and the top of the hip bone, at the end of a normal breath out. Hips: around the widest part of the buttocks. Keep the tape horizontal and snug without compressing the skin.
Note that this waist position differs from the one used by the Navy body fat formula (at the navel for men).
Sources
- World Health Organization (2011). Waist circumference and waist–hip ratio: report of a WHO expert consultation, Geneva, 8–11 December 2008.
- Ashwell M, Gibson S (2016). Waist-to-height ratio as an indicator of early health risk. BMJ Open 6:e010159.