Waist-to-height ratio calculator
Waist-to-height ratio predicts cardiometabolic risk at least as well as BMI, and it comes with a rule anyone can remember.
Waist-to-height ratio
0.486
- Half your height
- 87.5
- Centimetres over that
- -2.5
Show the working
- Waist circumference = 85
- Height = 175
- Waist-to-height ratio = 85 / 175 = 0.485 714
- Half your height = 175 / 2 = 87.5
- Centimetres over that = 85 - 87.5 = -2.5
Values are shown to six significant figures here; the arithmetic itself runs on exact fractions and is only rounded where a number is printed.
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The formula
- WHtR = waist / height, both in the same unit
The 0.5 threshold applies from about age six upwards, which is unusual among these measures.
This is a population formula, not a diagnosis. Individual metabolism, body composition and medical history all move the real answer, so treat the number as a starting point and talk to a clinician about anything that matters.