Waist-to-Hip Ratio Calculator

Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is calculated by dividing your waist circumference by your hip circumference. The World Health Organisation uses WHR as an indicator of central obesity and associated health risks, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. It is considered a better predictor than BMI alone for certain conditions, largely because it describes where fat is stored rather than how much of it there is.

WHO defines abdominal obesity as a WHR above 0.90 for men and above 0.85 for women, and a ratio below those thresholds is associated with lower risk. Between 0.90 and 0.99 for men, or 0.85 and 0.89 for women, counts as moderate risk, while 1.00 or above for men and 0.90 or above for women is classed as high. The NHS also recommends monitoring waist circumference independently: above 94 cm (men) or 80 cm (women) indicates increased risk, and above 102 cm (men) or 88 cm (women) indicates high risk.

Measure your waist at the midpoint between the lowest rib and the top of the hip bone (iliac crest), and your hips at the widest point of the buttocks. Use a flexible tape measure on bare skin, standing and breathing normally. That waist point is neither the belly button nor the line of your trousers, both of which give a flattering answer. Exhale gently rather than pulling your stomach in, keep the tape horizontal and snug without compressing the skin, and take the reading at the same time of day, ideally in the morning before eating.

As context for your own numbers, the average UK adult in 2024 had a waist of 96 cm (38 inches) for men and 87 cm (34 inches) for women, with hips of 102 cm (40 inches) in both cases. A man measuring 90 cm at the waist and 102 cm at the hip returns a ratio of 0.88, comfortably in the low-risk band. What the ratio captures is body shape. An apple figure carries visceral fat around the organs and is the riskier pattern, while a pear figure carries subcutaneous fat lower down and is linked to lower risk.

Ratio and BMI answer different questions. BMI compares weight with height and says nothing about where that weight sits, which is why muscular athletes often record a high BMI alongside a healthy ratio. The opposite case, a normal BMI with a high ratio, tends to bring worse outcomes than being overweight with a low one. A third measure, waist-to-height ratio, has been gaining ground because the rule is easy to hold in your head: keep your waist under half your height, a target of 0.5, which means staying under 87.5 cm at 1.75 m. It works across body types and ethnic groups better than BMI, appears in the NHS Health Check, and beats growth charts for assessing visceral fat in children.

The tape usually responds faster than the scale, because visceral fat is lost two to three times more quickly than the fat under the skin. A calorie deficit of 500 to 1,000 kcal a day produces 0.5 to 1 kg of weight loss a week, and strength training preserves muscle while that happens. High intensity interval training shifts visceral fat more effectively than steady-state cardio. Sleep counts too, since seven to nine hours supports the process and under six hours undermines it. Alcohol, beer in particular, correlates with abdominal fat, and prolonged stress raises cortisol, which encourages storage around the middle.