Waist Ratio Calculator
Calculate waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) — two recognized screening measures for abdominal obesity and health risk.
How to use the waist ratio calculator
- Measure your waist at the narrowest point, usually right above the navel.
- Measure your hips at the widest point.
- Enter your sex, the measurements and your height — the calculator shows both ratios.
How the ratios are calculated
WHtR (waist/height) = Waist ÷ Height
Both figures are simple, non-diagnostic screening measures for abdominal obesity — fat around the belly is more strongly linked to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes than body fat elsewhere. WHtR has the advantage of not requiring a separate hip measurement, and current UK guidelines (NICE, 2022) recommend WHtR as a first-choice measure for people under 40, ahead of BMI alone.
Frequently asked questions
Why two different ratios?
WHR (waist/hip) is the classic, historically most-used measure. WHtR (waist/height) is newer and has been shown to be at least as good (some studies show better) a predictor of health risk, and is simpler to use since it's independent of sex and ethnicity — the same cutoff (0.5) applies to everyone.
Is this better than BMI?
Both measures capture something BMI doesn't: where fat is distributed on the body, not just how much there is in total. Two people with the same BMI can have very different risk if one carries a lot of belly fat and the other doesn't. UK NICE guidelines now recommend WHtR as a complement to, not necessarily a replacement for, BMI.
Where should I measure my waist?
At the narrowest point between the lowest rib and the hip bone, usually right at or above the navel — measure without pulling your stomach in, with a regular tape measure snug but not compressing the skin.