Waist-to-Hip Ratio: What Is a Healthy Number?
A healthy waist-to-hip ratio is generally below 0.90 for men and below 0.85 for women, the cut-offs the World Health Organization (WHO) uses for “substantially increased” risk of metabolic problems such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Many charts go further and treat 0.80 or less for women and roughly 0.90 or less for men as the lowest-risk zone.
This guide explains what the number actually measures, how to take the two measurements properly, and how to work the ratio out by hand in centimetres or inches. It also covers where the ratio fits alongside other checks used in the UK and US, such as waist size and BMI.
This is general information, not medical advice. If you are worried about your weight or health, speak to your GP, doctor or another qualified health professional.
What the waist-to-hip ratio tells you
The waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is your waist circumference divided by your hip circumference. Because both measurements are lengths in the same unit, the units cancel out and you are left with a plain number, usually somewhere between 0.65 and 1.10 for adults.
The point of the ratio is to show where you carry fat rather than how much you weigh. Fat stored around the abdomen, including the visceral fat packed around the organs, is more closely linked with raised blood pressure, insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease than fat stored on the hips and thighs. A high ratio suggests more weight sits around the middle (often called an “apple” shape); a lower ratio suggests a “pear” shape.
Two people with the same weight and height, and therefore the same BMI, can have very different ratios. That is why WHR is often used alongside a BMI calculator rather than instead of one.
Healthy waist-to-hip ratio by sex: reference table
Men and women have different cut-offs because women naturally carry more fat on the hips and have a wider pelvis, which makes their hip measurement relatively larger. The table below shows the three bands used by the Quoteen waist-to-hip ratio calculator, together with the WHO threshold.
| Band | 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 or above | 0.85 or above |
| WHO “substantially increased risk” cut-off | 0.90 or above | 0.85 or above |
Notice that the WHO line is stricter for men than the calculator’s “high” band: WHO flags any male ratio of 0.90 or more, which the calculator labels as moderate until it reaches 1.00. For women the two agree at 0.85. If you are a man with a result between 0.90 and 0.99, it is sensible to read “moderate” as “above the WHO threshold” rather than “fine”.
These cut-offs were developed mainly from adult populations and are not intended for children, during pregnancy, or for people whose shape has been changed by surgery or certain medical conditions. WHO has also noted that risk at a given measurement can differ between ethnic groups, and UK guidance uses lower waist thresholds for some groups, including people of South Asian and Chinese background.
How to measure and calculate your ratio, step by step
Accuracy matters more than you might expect: a 2 cm (just under 1 inch) error on the waist can move the result by about 0.02, enough to jump a band. Use a flexible, non-stretch tape measure and follow these steps.
- Stand up straight with feet together, arms relaxed at your sides, wearing light clothing or none over the area being measured.
- Find your waist. The WHO method measures halfway between the bottom of your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone (iliac crest). Many people simply use the narrowest point, which is usually close by. Whichever you choose, use the same spot every time.
- Measure the waist at the end of a normal breath out. Keep the tape level all the way round and snug against the skin without pressing in. Do not hold your stomach in.
- Measure the hips around the widest part of the buttocks, again keeping the tape horizontal.
- Repeat both measurements. If two readings differ by more than about 1 cm (half an inch), measure a third time and use the average of the two closest.
- Divide waist by hips. Ratio = waist ÷ hip. Round to two decimal places, as the calculator does.
- Compare with the table for your sex.
You can use centimetres or inches, as long as both measurements are in the same unit. If you measured one in each, convert first (1 inch = 2.54 cm exactly) or use the length converter.
Worked examples with real numbers
Example 1: a woman measuring in centimetres and inches
Waist = 76 cm, hips = 98 cm.
- Ratio = 76 ÷ 98
- Ratio = 0.7755…
- Rounded = 0.78
- 0.78 is below 0.80, so this falls in the low-risk band and below the WHO cut-off of 0.85.
The same person measuring in inches would record roughly 30 in and 38.6 in. Then 30 ÷ 38.6 = 0.777…, which also rounds to 0.78. The answer is identical because the ratio has no units.
Example 2: a man checking three measures at once
Waist = 96 cm (37.8 in), hips = 102 cm (40.2 in), height = 178 cm (about 5 ft 10 in).
- Waist-to-hip ratio = 96 ÷ 102 = 0.9412… = 0.94
- The calculator shows “moderate risk” (0.90 to 0.99), but the result is above the WHO cut-off of 0.90.
- Waist on its own: 96 cm is above the 94 cm (37 in) level the NHS uses as the point where risk starts to rise for men.
- Waist-to-height ratio = 96 ÷ 178 = 0.539…, above the 0.5 that UK NICE guidance recommends staying under.
All three measures point the same way, which makes the signal more meaningful than any one figure alone.
Example 3: working backwards to a target waist
You can rearrange the formula to find the waist size that would hit a given ratio: target waist = target ratio × hip. For a woman with 98 cm hips:
- To stay under 0.85: 0.85 × 98 = 83.3 cm (about 32.8 in)
- To stay under 0.80: 0.80 × 98 = 78.4 cm (about 30.9 in)
For a man with 102 cm hips, staying under 0.90 means a waist below 0.90 × 102 = 91.8 cm (about 36.1 in). This assumes the hip measurement stays the same, which is rarely exactly true, because losing fat usually reduces both measurements a little.
Waist-to-hip ratio vs other body measures
No single number captures health. Each common measure has its own strengths, and the UK and US lean on them slightly differently: NHS pages tend to pair BMI with waist size and waist-to-height ratio, while US clinical guidance commonly quotes waist circumference in inches alongside BMI.
| Measure | How it is worked out | Commonly quoted threshold | Main strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waist-to-hip ratio | Waist ÷ hip | 0.90 men, 0.85 women (WHO) | Shows fat distribution |
| Waist circumference | Tape measure only | 94 cm / 37 in men, 80 cm / 31.5 in women (NHS, increased risk); 102 cm / 40 in men, 88 cm / 35 in women (higher risk, also used in the US) | Simplest single check |
| Waist-to-height ratio | Waist ÷ height | Below 0.5 (NICE) | Adjusts for height |
| BMI | Weight (kg) ÷ height (m) squared | 18.5 to 24.9 healthy range | Widely used for screening |
| Body fat percentage | Estimated from measurements or scans | Varies by age and sex | Separates fat from muscle |
If you want an estimate of total fat rather than its location, try the body fat percentage calculator, which uses tape measurements in a similar way.
Common measuring mistakes
- Measuring at the belly button every time. On many people the navel sits below the natural waist, which can give a bigger waist reading and a higher ratio.
- Mixing units. Dividing a waist in inches by hips in centimetres gives a meaningless answer such as 0.37.
- Pulling the tape tight or sucking in. Both shrink the waist figure and flatter the result.
- Letting the tape tilt. A tape that dips at the back adds length, especially at the hips.
- Measuring over thick clothes. Jeans and belts add centimetres to the hip and waist readings unevenly.
Frequently asked questions
Is 0.8 a good waist-to-hip ratio?
For a woman, 0.80 sits at the top of the lowest-risk range and below the WHO cut-off of 0.85, so it is generally considered healthy. For a man, 0.80 is comfortably below the 0.90 threshold.
Does it matter if I measure in inches or centimetres?
No. The ratio is the same in either unit because the units cancel out. Just make sure both measurements use the same one.
Can my ratio go up even if I lose weight?
Yes, it can. If you lose more from your hips than your waist, the ratio rises slightly even though both measurements have fallen. That is one reason to track your waist size as well as the ratio.
How often should I check it?
Measurements change slowly and vary a little day to day, so once a month, at the same time of day and before eating, is usually enough to see a real trend.
Work out your own ratio
Once you have your two measurements, the free waist-to-hip ratio calculator divides them for you and shows which band you fall into for your sex. For a broader picture, compare the result with your BMI, and if you are planning changes to diet or activity, our guide to TDEE vs BMR explains how daily calorie needs are estimated. Treat any single number as a prompt for a conversation with a health professional, not a diagnosis.