Waist-to-Hip Ratio Calculator

Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is a simple tape-measure number that says more about cardiovascular risk than body weight or BMI alone, because it captures where fat is stored rather than how much of it there is. This calculator divides your waist circumference by your hip circumference — enter both in the same unit, centimeters or inches, pick your sex, and the ratio comes back to two decimal places. Because both measurements share a unit, the ratio itself carries no unit; a WHR of 0.85 means the waist is 85% of the hip circumference, however you measured it.

The risk category shown comes from the WHO 2008 expert-consultation report, "Waist Circumference and Waist-Hip Ratio: Report of a WHO Expert Consultation": a WHR of 0.90 or higher in men, or 0.85 or higher in women, indicates substantially increased cardiovascular and metabolic risk from central (abdominal) fat distribution — the classic "apple" shape associated with higher risk than a "pear" shape at the same body weight. Measure the waist at the midpoint between the lowest rib and the top of the hip bone, and the hip at its widest point around the buttocks, for a reading consistent with how the guideline was validated.

Alongside the WHR result, this tool runs a second and deliberately separate check: the NIH/NHLBI ATP III (Adult Treatment Panel III) waist-circumference-only cutoff, which flags increased cardiometabolic risk above 102 cm (40 in) for men or 88 cm (35 in) for women — using no hip measurement at all. These are two real, independently published guidelines measuring related but different things, and this calculator shows both rather than picking one and hiding the other; it is entirely possible for one panel to read "increased risk" while the other reads "within threshold" for the same person, and that disagreement is itself informative about where exactly the risk signal is coming from.

Treat both results as informational estimates, not a medical diagnosis. Neither WHR nor waist circumference alone captures visceral fat, family history, blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar, all of which matter for actual cardiovascular risk. If either guideline flags increased risk, or if you have concerns about your cardiovascular or metabolic health, consult a healthcare provider for a full assessment rather than relying on a single tape-measure ratio.