See your waist to height ratio in one number.
Enter your waist and height in the same unit and read your WHtR live, along with your risk band and how far your waist is from the classic target of half your height.
Your measurements
Use one unit for both boxes. The ratio is waist divided by height, so the unit cancels out.
What this means
Ratio bands and what they mean
| Ratio | Band | What it suggests |
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Waist to height ratio, explained
What the waist to height ratio tells you
The waist to height ratio, often shortened to WHtR, is simply your waist circumference divided by your height. Because both are in the same unit, the units cancel and you are left with a plain number, usually somewhere between 0.40 and 0.60 for adults. It is a quick way to judge how much fat is stored around your middle, which is the fat most closely linked to metabolic and heart health.
The appeal of WHtR is that it needs no charts, no age tables and no separate rules for men and women. One tape measure and one division give you a figure you can compare against clear, well studied bands.
Why it often beats BMI
Body mass index looks only at weight against height, so a muscular person can score as overweight while someone with a slim frame but a soft belly can score as healthy. WHtR looks at where the fat sits. Central fat around the organs behaves very differently from fat on the hips and thighs, and it is central fat that drives most of the risk. By measuring your waist directly, WHtR captures that difference and tends to flag risk earlier than BMI alone.
Many researchers now treat a waist that is less than half your height as a sensible target for most adults, which is easy to remember and easy to act on.
How to measure your waist correctly
Stand up straight and find the midpoint between the bottom of your ribs and the top of your hip bones, which for most people sits at about the level of the navel. Wrap a soft tape measure right around, keep it snug but not digging in, and make sure it is level all the way round. Breathe out gently and read the tape without pulling your stomach in.
Take the reading in the same unit as your height, either both in inches or both in centimeters, so the ratio is valid. Measuring at the same time of day, on bare skin, gives you the most consistent numbers to track over weeks and months.
Common questions
What is a healthy waist to height ratio?
For most adults a ratio from 0.40 up to just under 0.50 is considered healthy. From 0.50 to just under 0.60 suggests increased risk from central fat, and 0.60 or above is treated as high risk. A very low ratio under 0.40 can point to being underweight.
Does the calculator work in both inches and centimeters?
Yes. Pick one unit and enter both your waist and height in it. Since the ratio divides one measurement by the other, the units cancel out, so inches over inches and centimeters over centimeters give exactly the same result.
What does keep your waist under half your height mean?
It is the plain language version of a ratio below 0.50. If your height is 68 inches, half of that is 34 inches, so keeping your waist under 34 inches keeps your ratio under 0.50. The calculator shows how many inches or centimeters you are above or below that target.
Is waist to height ratio suitable for children?
The bands used here are general guidance for adults. Children and teenagers are still growing and need age and sex specific references, so this tool is not a substitute for advice from a pediatrician or other health professional.
This tool gives general information and is not a diagnosis. The bands are broad adult guidance, not a personal medical assessment. For advice about your weight, body shape or health risk, speak with a doctor or other qualified health professional. All numbers stay in your browser and nothing is uploaded.