Waist to Hip Ratio Calculator

This free waist to hip ratio calculator finds your waist to hip ratio (WHR) and your health risk in seconds. It works for men and women, and you can enter your waist and hip size in centimetres or inches. A higher ratio usually means more fat stored around the belly, and that type of fat is linked with a higher risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Your body mass index only looks at your weight and your height, so it cannot tell where your fat is stored. Two people can have the same BMI Calculator score and very different health risks. Waist to hip ratio adds the missing detail, because it shows how your waist compares with your hips.

You only need three facts: your sex, your waist size, and your hip size. Enter them in the tool below and it will divide your waist by your hips, then show your ratio to two decimal places with a risk category. It takes less than a minute, and the only extra item you need is a tape measure.

What Is Waist to Hip Ratio and Why Does It Matter?

Waist to hip ratio is a simple number that compares the size of your waist with the size of your hips. You divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement, and the answer is your ratio, also called WHR. For example, a waist of 80 cm and hips of 100 cm gives a ratio of 0.80.

The ratio matters because it shows where your body stores fat. Fat stored around the belly, known as visceral fat, sits close to the liver and other organs. That fat is more active than the fat under the skin, and it is linked with higher blood pressure, higher blood sugar and unhealthy cholesterol levels.

Two people can weigh the same and look similar, yet carry their fat in different places. A person with an apple shape stores more fat around the waist, while a person with a pear shape stores more around the hips. Apple shaped fat carries more health risk.

Doctors and health researchers use WHR alongside other measures because it adds detail that weight alone cannot give. A single number cannot diagnose disease, but it can flag when it is worth talking to your doctor.

How to Measure Your Waist and Hips Correctly

Your result is only as good as your measurements, so measure with care. You need a soft tape measure, a mirror to help you place the tape, and about two minutes.

1. Stand up straight and relax your stomach. Do not pull your stomach in, and breathe out normally before you read the tape.
2. Find your waist at the level of your navel, the narrowest point of your torso for most people. Wrap the tape around your waist at this level and keep it level all the way round.
3. Find your hips at their widest point, usually around the widest part of your buttocks. Wrap the tape around your hips at this level and keep it level.
4. Hold the tape snug against your skin, but not so tight that it squeezes you. It should sit flat, with no gaps and no twists.
5. Read the number in centimetres or inches and write it down. Measure twice and use the average if the two numbers differ.

Measure over bare skin for the best result. If you measure over clothes, use thin clothing and keep the tape in the same place for both readings. Do not measure straight after a large meal.

How to Use This Waist to Hip Ratio Calculator

Using this waist to hip ratio calculator is simple. Follow these steps and you will have your ratio and your risk category in seconds.

1. Choose your sex, male or female, because the risk cut offs are different for men and women.
2. Choose your unit, centimetres or inches. Use the same unit for both measurements.
3. Enter your waist circumference in the first box and your hip circumference in the second box.
4. Press Calculate My Waist to Hip Ratio. Your ratio will appear to two decimal places, with your risk category underneath.

If you do not have a tape measure, a piece of string and a ruler will work. Wrap the string around yourself, mark the length and measure it flat.

Waist to Hip Ratio Formula

The formula is short. You divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement, using the same unit for both.

WHR = Waist circumference / Hip circumference

Because both numbers use the same unit, the unit cancels out. A waist of 32 inches and hips of 40 inches gives the same ratio as a waist of 80 cm and hips of 100 cm, so you can use centimetres or inches and the answer is the same.

Worked Example

Here is a worked example with the same numbers you can try in the tool above. A woman has a waist of 80 cm and hips of 100 cm.

1. Waist circumference: 80 cm.
2. Hip circumference: 100 cm.
3. WHR = 80 / 100 = 0.80.

A ratio of 0.80 for a woman falls in the moderate risk band. It is on the borderline, so a small fall in waist size would move her into the low risk band. If her waist fell to 79 cm, her ratio would be 0.79, which is low risk.

Waist to Hip Ratio Risk Chart

Use this chart to see what your ratio means. The bands come from the World Health Organization (WHO) cut offs.

Risk Category	Men	Women
Low risk	Below 0.90	Below 0.80
Moderate risk	0.90 to 0.99	0.80 to 0.84
High risk	1.00 and above	0.85 and above

These cut offs are guides, not diagnoses.

Waist to Hip Ratio vs BMI

Waist to hip ratio and BMI answer different questions. BMI tells you whether your weight is in the expected range for your height. WHR tells you where that weight sits.

BMI can mislead in two ways. A very muscular person can have a high BMI with little body fat, while an older person can have a normal BMI and still carry a lot of belly fat. WHR sees the belly fat that BMI misses. A third option is the Waist to Height Ratio Calculator, which compares your waist with your height instead of your hips.

Limitations of Waist to Hip Ratio

Waist to hip ratio is a simple screening tool, not a full health test. It does not measure your total body fat, your muscle, or the fat around your organs directly.

The ratio can also mislead after surgery, during pregnancy, or in people with a very different body shape. Wide hips can give a low ratio even when the waist size is large.

The cut offs are population guides, so they may not fit everyone. Your age, ethnic background and medical history all change what a given ratio means. If your weight affects a medicine dose, that is a different question, and the Adjusted Body Weight Calculator is the tool clinicians use.

Always treat the result as a starting point. A high ratio is a reason to talk to your doctor, not a diagnosis.

FAQs About the Waist to Hip Ratio Calculator

What is a good waist to hip ratio?

For women, a ratio below 0.80 is low risk, and for men, a ratio below 0.90 is low risk. These are the cut offs used by the World Health Organization.

How do I calculate my waist to hip ratio?

Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement, using the same unit for both. For example, 80 cm divided by 100 cm is 0.80. The calculator above does the same sum for you and adds the risk category for your sex.

Is a waist to hip ratio of 0.80 good?

For a woman, 0.80 sits at the start of the moderate risk band, so it is borderline. For a man, 0.80 is well inside the low risk band. The same number means different things for men and women, which is why the calculator asks for your sex.

Does waist to hip ratio change with age?

Yes, it often rises with age, because fat tends to move towards the belly as people get older. Menopause can also raise the ratio in women.

Can I lower my waist to hip ratio?

You cannot target one area of the body, but your waist usually shrinks first when you lose weight overall. Regular movement, a balanced diet, enough sleep and less alcohol all help.