Calculate your waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), a simple screening measure often summarized as 'keep your waist to less than half your height'.
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Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) is your waist circumference divided by your height, in the same units. It's often summarized with the simple rule of thumb 'keep your waist circumference to less than half your height', equivalent to a ratio below 0.5. This calculator uses commonly cited bands: below 0.40 suggests possible underweight, 0.40 to 0.49 is generally considered healthy, 0.50 to 0.59 indicates increased risk, and 0.60 or above indicates high risk.
Because WHtR directly reflects abdominal fat relative to body size, some studies suggest it may be a better predictor of cardiovascular and metabolic risk than BMI, and it applies a single simple threshold (0.5) reasonably consistently across different heights, unlike BMI, which uses more complex category boundaries.
For example, someone with an 85 cm waist and a height of 175 cm has a WHtR of 85 ÷ 175 ≈ 0.49, just under the 0.5 threshold, placing them in the Healthy category (0.40 to 0.49) under the bands used here.
Measuring waist inconsistently between check-ins, at the belt line one time and at the navel another, small placement differences shift the ratio enough to change the category near a threshold.
Treating the 0.5 threshold as a hard medical cutoff rather than a general population guideline, individual risk depends on many factors beyond this single ratio.
Using outdated height, height can change slightly with age or posture; re-measuring periodically keeps the ratio accurate.
The commonly cited guidance is to stay below 0.5 (waist less than half your height) as a general target for reduced health risk, though this is a population-level guideline, not a precise medical threshold for any one individual.
Waist-to-height ratio compares your waist to your height, while waist-to-hip ratio compares your waist to your hip circumference. Both screen for abdominal-fat-related health risk, but use different reference measurements and different risk bands.
No, this is a general screening tool. Speak with a healthcare professional for a full assessment of your individual health risk, especially if you have other risk factors or existing health conditions.
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