How do you calculate waist-to-hip ratio?

Divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement in the same units. Waist 80 cm and hips 100 cm gives 0.80; waist 34 in and hips 40 in gives 0.85. Measure the waist at the midpoint between the lowest rib and the hip bone and the hips at their widest.

What is a healthy waist-to-hip ratio?

Under the WHO cut-offs: below 0.90 for men and below 0.85 for women. At or above those, the WHO consultation classed the risk of metabolic complications as substantially increased. Lower is generally better, though a very low ratio has no special meaning.

What is a good waist-to-hip ratio for a woman, or for a man?

Below 0.85 for women and below 0.90 for men, by the WHO lines. Some fitness sources quote finer bands (for example 0.80 and 0.95 as 'moderate' thresholds), but those are not from the WHO report; this page uses the WHO cut-off and flags anything within 0.05 of it.

Is waist-to-hip ratio better than BMI?

It answers a different question. BMI compares weight with height and says nothing about where the weight is; the ratio, and the waist measurement on its own, capture central fat, which predicts diabetes and heart disease risk better than BMI in many studies. Used together they tell more than either alone.

What waist size is 'too big' on its own?

The WHO lines are 94 cm (37 in) for increased risk and 102 cm (40 in) for substantially increased risk in men, and 80 cm (31.5 in) and 88 cm (34.6 in) in women. The page shows which side of those your waist falls on, separately from the ratio.

Waist-to-Hip Ratio Calculator (WHO Cut-offs)

Waist-to-hip ratio against the WHO cut-offs, plus your waist circumference against its own lines.

Inputs

Sex

Waist(cm)

50 cm200 cm

Hip(cm)

50 cm200 cm

Units

Include CalculateEveryday mark

Waist-to-hip ratio

0.89

Near the cut-off

LowNear the cut-offHigh

Working: 85.0 cm ÷ 95.0 cm = 0.895
Health risk: Near the cut-off
WHO cut-off for this sex: 0.90 — at or above it, substantially increased risk of metabolic complications
Waist circumference alone: 85.0 cm is below WHO's 94 cm line

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What each Waist-to-Hip Ratio input means

Sex: Male or female: the WHO cut-offs differ — 0.90 for men and 0.85 for women.
Waist: Waist circumference, measured as the WHO protocol describes: midway between the lowest rib and the top of the hip bone, at the end of a normal breath out, tape level and snug.
Hip: Hip circumference around the widest part of the buttocks, tape level.
Units: Centimetres or inches. The ratio is the same in either, as long as both are in the same unit.

Waist-to-Hip Ratio formula

WHR = waist circumference ÷ hip circumference · WHO cut-offs: men ≥ 0.90, women ≥ 0.85

\text{WHR} = \frac{\text{waist}}{\text{hip}}

The waist-to-hip ratio compares the narrowest part of the torso with the widest part of the hips, as a rough measure of where body fat sits — fat around the waist and organs carries more metabolic risk than fat on the hips and thighs. Measure the waist at the midpoint between the lowest rib and the top of the hip bone, and the hips at the widest point of the buttocks, both without pulling the tape tight; the units cancel, so inches or centimetres both work. The WHO expert consultation set one cut-off per sex, 0.90 for men and 0.85 for women, above which the risk of metabolic complications is 'substantially increased'. The page also compares the waist measurement on its own with the WHO waist-circumference lines (94 and 102 cm for men, 80 and 88 cm for women), because a waist number alone predicts risk about as well as the ratio.

Waist-to-Hip Ratio worked example

A man with an 85 cm waist and 95 cm hips: 85 ÷ 95 = 0.895, shown as 0.89. That is under the WHO cut-off of 0.90 but within 0.05 of it, so the page marks it 'near the cut-off'. His waist alone, 85 cm, is below the 94 cm line. For a woman the same measurements would be above the 0.85 cut-off.

Where the Waist-to-Hip Ratio calculator can give the wrong answer

Where you put the tape changes the ratio by several hundredths. The WHO protocol is the midpoint between the lowest rib and the iliac crest for the waist and the widest part of the buttocks for the hips, at the end of a normal breath out.
The cut-offs are for adults. They were not set for children, for pregnancy, or for people with very high muscle mass, whose hip and waist measurements do not mean the same thing.
The WHO report notes that the appropriate cut-offs vary between populations and ethnic groups and calls its figures provisional; the ratio flags risk, it does not diagnose anything.
The 'near the cut-off' band (within 0.05 below the line) is this page's own reading aid, not a WHO category — WHO defines only the cut-off itself.
Rounding: the headline shows two decimals, so 0.895 reads 0.89 and 0.905 reads 0.91; the working line keeps three.

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Waist-to-Hip Ratio FAQ

: Divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement in the same units. Waist 80 cm and hips 100 cm gives 0.80; waist 34 in and hips 40 in gives 0.85. Measure the waist at the midpoint between the lowest rib and the hip bone and the hips at their widest.
: Under the WHO cut-offs: below 0.90 for men and below 0.85 for women. At or above those, the WHO consultation classed the risk of metabolic complications as substantially increased. Lower is generally better, though a very low ratio has no special meaning.
: Below 0.85 for women and below 0.90 for men, by the WHO lines. Some fitness sources quote finer bands (for example 0.80 and 0.95 as 'moderate' thresholds), but those are not from the WHO report; this page uses the WHO cut-off and flags anything within 0.05 of it.
: It answers a different question. BMI compares weight with height and says nothing about where the weight is; the ratio, and the waist measurement on its own, capture central fat, which predicts diabetes and heart disease risk better than BMI in many studies. Used together they tell more than either alone.
: The WHO lines are 94 cm (37 in) for increased risk and 102 cm (40 in) for substantially increased risk in men, and 80 cm (31.5 in) and 88 cm (34.6 in) in women. The page shows which side of those your waist falls on, separately from the ratio.