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Calculate waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) — see ratio, health category and keep waist less than half height rule.
Calculate waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) — see ratio, health category and keep waist less than half height rule.
Enter values above and click Calculate — results will appear here with the formula explained.
Waist-to-height ratio divides waist circumference by height, both in the same unit, and compares the result against the widely cited screening cut-point of 0.5 — keep waist less than half of height. Lower WHtR correlates with lower central adiposity risk in population studies, and because it normalizes for stature, it often discriminates better than raw waist or BMI alone in adults of different heights.
Cut-points are screening thresholds, not medical diagnoses. Children, highly muscular individuals and some ethnic groups have different distributions, and waist measurement technique — tape at the mid-point between the lowest rib and iliac crest, relaxed exhalation, horizontal — materially affects the number. Trending the same technique over weeks matters more than a single reading.
Why height normalization matters: a 90 cm waist means different things at 160 cm versus 190 cm of height — 0.56 versus 0.47, crossing the risk boundary on stature alone. Raw waist cutoffs (like 102/88 cm) systematically misclassify short and tall people, which is exactly the bias WHtR corrects and why several guidelines now prefer it.
WHtR versus BMI versus waist-to-hip: BMI misses distribution, waist misses stature, WHR captures shape but needs two measurements, WHtR needs waist plus known height — the simplest protocol of the four. Meta-analyses find WHtR among the best single anthropometric predictors of cardiometabolic risk, which is why 'keep your waist to less than half your height' became a public-health message.
Moving the number: each centimeter off the waist at fixed height drops WHtR by roughly 1/height — at 175 cm, about 0.006 per cm. From 0.53 to under 0.50 needs roughly 5–6 cm, typically 4–8 weeks of modest deficit plus walking and resistance work. Crash dieting shrinks the number fast but rebounds; the durable path is 0.5 kg/week with protein and strength training.
Limits to respect: pregnancy, ascites, heavy weightlifting builds and post-surgical swelling all distort the ratio; children need age-percentile charts, not 0.5. And no ratio replaces blood pressure, lipids, glucose and smoking status in real risk assessment — WHtR is the cheapest screening flag, not a diagnosis.
Calculate waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) — see ratio, health category and keep waist less than half height rule. Formula: WHtR = waist / height. Example: With 85cm waist, 178cm height: WHtR 0.478, healthy (<0.5).
Waist-to-height ratio divides waist circumference by height, both in the same unit, and compares the result against the widely cited screening cut-point of 0.5 — keep waist less than half of height. Lower WHtR correlates with lower central adiposity risk in population studies, and because it normalizes for stature, it often discriminates better than raw waist or BMI alone in adults of different heights.
Cut-points are screening thresholds, not medical diagnoses. Children, highly muscular individuals and some ethnic groups have different distributions, and waist measurement technique — tape at the mid-point between the lowest rib and iliac crest, relaxed exhalation, horizontal — materially affects the number. Trending the same technique over weeks matters more than a single reading.
Why height normalization matters: a 90 cm waist means different things at 160 cm versus 190 cm of height — 0.56 versus 0.47, crossing the risk boundary on stature alone. Raw waist cutoffs (like 102/88 cm) systematically misclassify short and tall people, which is exactly the bias WHtR corrects and why several guidelines now prefer it.
WHtR versus BMI versus waist-to-hip: BMI misses distribution, waist misses stature, WHR captures shape but needs two measurements, WHtR needs waist plus known height — the simplest protocol of the four. Meta-analyses find WHtR among the best single anthropometric predictors of cardiometabolic risk, which is why 'keep your waist to less than half your height' became a public-health message.
Moving the number: each centimeter off the waist at fixed height drops WHtR by roughly 1/height — at 175 cm, about 0.006 per cm. From 0.53 to under 0.50 needs roughly 5–6 cm, typically 4–8 weeks of modest deficit plus walking and resistance work. Crash dieting shrinks the number fast but rebounds; the durable path is 0.5 kg/week with protein and strength training.
Limits to respect: pregnancy, ascites, heavy weightlifting builds and post-surgical swelling all distort the ratio; children need age-percentile charts, not 0.5. And no ratio replaces blood pressure, lipids, glucose and smoking status in real risk assessment — WHtR is the cheapest screening flag, not a diagnosis.
With 85cm waist, 178cm height: WHtR 0.478, healthy (<0.5). At 95cm waist the same height gives 0.534 — increased risk, needing about 6cm off the waist to return under 0.50.
Formulas are standard public references (see our methodology). External standards are cited in the text where they apply.
Last reviewed: September 2026 · Report an error