By Zencalcy Editorial TeamLast reviewed About us
Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) divides waist circumference by height. It is a simple central-adiposity screen with a widely used message: keep your waist to less than half your height. It works across heights and is often more informative than BMI alone.
Screen central adiposity with a simple 0.5 threshold.
WHtR = waist circumference ÷ height
NICE and other public-health bodies describe a ratio below 0.5 as healthy, 0.5–0.59 as increased risk and 0.6 or above as high risk. Some guidance uses 0.4 as a lower bound for possible underweight. The ratio is a screen, not a diagnosis.
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| WHtR | Waist-to-height ratio, unitless. |
| Waist | Waist circumference in the same unit as height. |
| Height | Standing height. |
85 ÷ 175 = 0.49, just below the 0.5 threshold. A 90 cm waist at the same height gives 0.51, in the increased-risk band, and 105 cm gives 0.60, the high-risk threshold.
Waist-to-height ratio has one advantage over almost every other anthropometric index: the message fits on a poster. Keep your waist to less than half your height. That simplicity has made it popular with public-health bodies and clinicians who need a quick screen without a lookup table. It works because height sets a reasonable scale for a healthy waist across most adults, and waist captures the visceral fat that BMI misses. The ratio is not perfect. It can flag a very muscular person with a thick waist, and it can miss central fat in someone who is very tall. Body shape and posture also affect the tape reading. Still, for most people it performs as well as more complicated indices and is easier to track. Pair it with a consistent measurement routine and, if the ratio is high, with blood pressure and glucose checks.
Continue with the ABSI Calculator (A Body Shape Index), Adjusted Body Weight Calculator, or the BAI Calculator (Body Adiposity Index) — or browse more body measurements tools and all health calculators.
Also see the Body Fat Calculator.
A waist equal to half your height is a practical public-health marker that correlates with central fat and metabolic risk across populations. It is easy to remember and does not require a table.
Every result is a screening estimate from published anthropometric equations, not a diagnosis or a measurement of body composition. Tape measurements should be taken snugly against the skin without compressing it, at the landmarks named in each tool. Equations were derived in specific populations and can be less accurate for athletes, older adults, children, pregnant people and people with significant oedema.
Reference material used to build and check this calculator:
Last reviewed: September 2026. See how we build and check every tool on the about page.
Content updated: September 2026