📐 Waist-to-Hip Ratio Calculator

Calculate your waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) — a simple indicator the World Health Organization uses alongside BMI to flag health risk associated with fat distribution.

Units

Metric (cm) Imperial (in)

Sex

Waist (cm)

Hip (cm)

One division, then the WHO thresholds

Waist-to-hip ratio is the simplest measurement on this site: waist circumference divided by hip circumference, rounded to two decimals.

WHR = waist / hip

men:   below 0.90 low   0.90-0.99 moderate   1.00 and up high
women: below 0.80 low   0.80-0.84 moderate   0.85 and up high

An 85 cm waist and 100 cm hip give 0.85. For a man that is comfortably low risk; for a woman the same 0.85 lands in the high band, because the WHO cut-offs differ by sex. Because it is a ratio, the units cancel - the metric/imperial switch only relabels the boxes and does no conversion, so 33.5 in over 39.4 in gives the same 0.85. Just never mix centimetres in one box with inches in the other.

Getting the tape in the right place

WHR is sensitive to where you measure, and there is a defined protocol:

Waist at the midpoint between the bottom rib and the top of the hip bone, not at your belt line or navel.
Hip around the widest part of the buttocks.
Stand with feet together, arms relaxed, and read the tape at the end of a normal breath out. Holding your stomach in changes the category, not the risk.

WHR describes where fat sits, which BMI cannot see - weight around the middle tracks with more cardiovascular and metabolic risk than the same weight on the hips. It is still a screening indicator, not a diagnosis, and it does not apply during pregnancy or to children.

Frequently asked questions

What is a healthy waist to hip ratio?

Under 0.90 for men and under 0.80 for women is the WHO low-risk band. Women cross into high risk at 0.85 and men at 1.00.

Where exactly do I measure my waist?

Halfway between your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone - usually just above the navel, and often not where trousers sit. Measuring at the belt line reads low and flatters the ratio.

Is waist-to-hip ratio better than BMI?

It is better at flagging abdominal fat, and a normal BMI with a high WHR is a combination worth taking seriously. They answer different questions, so most guidance uses both rather than choosing.