Waist-to-Height Ratio Calculator
Check the simple ratio many studies prefer over BMI.
Quick answer
Waist-to-height ratio is waist circumference divided by height in the same units. Keeping it under 0.5 — waist less than half your height — is a simple, effective screen for abdominal-fat health risk, often better than BMI.
Waist-to-height ratio
0.49
Healthy
The rule
Keep waist under half your height
Half your height
The guideline is memorable: waist circumference should stay below half your height. Meta-analyses find this ratio predicts diabetes and heart-disease risk better than BMI because it targets abdominal fat directly, and one threshold works across sexes and ethnicities.
Why it can replace BMI screening
BMI can't see where weight sits — a muscular athlete and a sedentary person can share a BMI with wildly different risk. The UK's health institute (NICE) now recommends waist-to-height alongside BMI for exactly this reason.
Frequently asked questions
- How does the Waist-to-Height Ratio Calculator work?
- Waist-to-height ratio is waist circumference divided by height in the same units. Keeping it under 0.5 — waist less than half your height — is a simple, effective screen for abdominal-fat health risk, often better than BMI.
- Is the Waist-to-Height Ratio Calculator free to use?
- Yes. The Waist-to-Height Ratio Calculator is completely free, runs entirely in your browser, and requires no account or sign-up. Your inputs never leave your device.
Sources & methodology
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