Waist-to-Hip Ratio Calculator

1. Measure your waist at its narrowest point, usually just above the navel, keeping the tape snug but not compressing the skin.
2. Measure your hips at the widest point around the buttocks, using the same units (centimetres or inches) as your waist.
3. Enter both numbers and choose Male or Female, since the risk thresholds differ.
4. Read your ratio and its health-risk zone against the WHO cut-off for your group.

Here is how to read each result:

Waist-to-hip ratio is a simple measure of how your body stores fat. It divides the circumference of your waist by the circumference of your hips, so a higher number means relatively more fat around the abdomen and a lower number means more around the hips and thighs.

It matters because central (abdominal) fat is more strongly associated with heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure than fat carried on the hips. WHR helps flag that pattern even when overall weight looks normal. It is a screening indicator for adults, not a diagnosis, and it is not designed for pregnancy (use a pregnancy calculator instead) or for children.

The calculator divides your waist measurement by your hip measurement, then compares the result to the World Health Organization cut-off for your sex.

1. Divide your waist by your hip to get the ratio.
2. Compare it to your cut-off: 0.90 for men, 0.85 for women.
3. Below the cut-off sits in the lower-risk zone; at or above it indicates increased risk.

Because both measurements share the same units, the units cancel out and the ratio is the same whether you measure in centimetres or inches.

Suppose a man measures a 94 cm waist and 100 cm hips.

Calculation: WHR = 94 / 100 = 0.94. For men the increased-risk cut-off is 0.90, so 0.94 falls in the moderate-risk zone.

If a woman recorded the same measurements, her cut-off would be 0.85, placing 0.94 in the high-risk zone. The same ratio can mean different things for men and women, which is why the sex selector matters.

The World Health Organization defines increased risk at a WHR of 0.90 or more in men and 0.85 or more in women. The three-zone view below is a common way to read the same thresholds.

These are population screening thresholds. Your personal risk also depends on blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, activity, age and family history, so treat the zone as a prompt to look at the wider picture.

Small differences in technique can move your ratio, so consistency matters more than a single reading.

Where You Place the Tape

Measuring the waist at the navel versus the narrowest point, or the hips too high, changes both numbers. Use the same landmarks each time.

Time of Day and Breathing

Measure at the end of a normal breath, not after a large meal, and ideally in the morning for a consistent baseline.

Body Composition Changes

Losing abdominal fat lowers the waist figure and the ratio, and a steady weight-loss plan is the usual driver, while muscle gain around the hips can also shift it. Track the trend over weeks, not day to day.

These measures answer different questions, and they work best together.

Someone can have a normal BMI but a high WHR, so it helps to read them side by side rather than relying on any single number.

General Health Screening

Use it as a quick, no-equipment check of fat distribution alongside blood pressure and other routine numbers.

Tracking Progress

If you are losing weight, a falling ratio shows you are reducing abdominal fat specifically, which BMI alone cannot tell you.

Talking to a Clinician

Bring your ratio to a check-up as one data point. It can prompt a conversation about diet, activity and cardiovascular risk.

1. Mixing Units

Measuring the waist in inches and the hips in centimetres gives a meaningless ratio. Use one unit for both.

2. Pulling the Tape Too Tight

Compressing the skin understates your measurement. Keep the tape snug and level with the floor.

3. Measuring the Wrong Spot

The hip measurement is the widest part of the buttocks, not the hip bones, and the waist is the narrowest point, not the belt line.

4. Ignoring Sex-specific Cut-offs

The same ratio carries different risk for men and women. Always set the correct sex.

5. Treating One Reading as Final

Hydration, meals and posture cause small swings. Use an average of consistent readings.

The arithmetic is exact, but the ratio is only a screening signal and depends on careful, consistent measurement.

A lower ratio is generally better. WHO links increased risk to a ratio at or above 0.90 in men and 0.85 in women, so figures below those cut-offs sit in the lower-risk range. Your wider health picture still matters.

Measure the waist at its narrowest point, usually just above the navel, and the hips at the widest part of the buttocks. Keep the tape snug and level, use the same units for both, and measure on bare skin or light clothing.

No. Because the ratio divides one measurement by the other, the units cancel out. As long as you use the same unit for waist and hips, inches and centimetres give an identical ratio.

Men and women store fat differently, so the World Health Organization sets separate thresholds: 0.90 for men and 0.85 for women. Using the wrong sex setting can misclassify your risk zone.

Neither is better on its own. WHR shows where fat is stored, while BMI reflects weight relative to height. Someone with a healthy BMI can still have a high WHR, so the two are most useful together.

A high ratio means relatively more fat around the abdomen, a pattern linked to a higher risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. It is a prompt to review your wider health, not a diagnosis.

No. Waist-to-hip ratio is not valid during pregnancy because the abdomen changes shape for reasons unrelated to fat storage. Speak to your midwife or doctor about appropriate measures.

Every few weeks is enough to see a trend, since day-to-day changes are mostly hydration and meals. Measure the same way and ideally at the same time of day for a fair comparison.

No. The calculation runs entirely in your browser and nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere unless you choose to Save a result, which stays only in this browser.

• Waist circumference and waist-hip ratio: WHO expert consultation (World Health Organization).
• Assessing your weight and health risk (NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute).
• Abdominal fat and what to do about it (Harvard Health Publishing).