Waist-to-Height Ratio Calculator
Your waist-to-height ratio and health-risk level (keep waist under half your height).
Result
Waist-to-height ratio
0.47
Risk level
Healthy
How it works
Waist-to-height ratio divides your waist circumference by your height, in the same unit. It is a simple proxy for abdominal fat — the fat around the organs that carries most of the metabolic risk. The widely used guideline is to keep your waist under half your height, so a ratio below 0.5. A 175 cm person should therefore aim for a waist under about 87 cm. The threshold is memorable precisely because it needs no chart and no calculator once you know it. Its advantage over BMI is that it looks at where fat sits, not just how much you weigh. BMI cannot tell a muscular athlete from someone carrying visceral fat, and two people with identical BMI can have very different waistlines. Neither number diagnoses anything on its own — they flag when a conversation with a doctor is worth having.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a healthy waist-to-height ratio?
Under 0.5 — your waist should be less than half your height.
Is it better than BMI?
It captures central fat, which BMI misses, so many find it a useful complement.
How do I measure my waist correctly?
Wrap the tape at the midpoint between your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone, directly on the skin, at the end of a normal breath out. Keep it snug without compressing, and do not pull your stomach in.
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