Waist-to-Hip Ratio Calculator — WHR with WHO Risk Bands (2026)
Free waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) calculator. Enter your waist and hips to see your ratio and World Health Organization risk band by sex — a quick read on where you carry fat.
Your waist-to-hip ratio compares the inches around your waist to the inches around your hips. It's a long-standing measure of fat distribution — apple vs. pear shape — with risk bands built around the World Health Organization's cutoffs.
What is waist-to-hip ratio?
Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) divides your waist circumference by your hip circumference. A higher number means you carry relatively more fat around the middle (an 'apple' shape) versus the hips and thighs (a 'pear' shape). Abdominal fat is the pattern most associated with cardiovascular and metabolic risk.
The World Health Organization's 2008 expert consultation drew a single line for substantially increased risk: a WHR above 0.90 for men and above 0.85 for women. The low / moderate / high bands this calculator shows are a widely used elaboration around those thresholds — for women the 0.85 line is the high-risk boundary, and for men the 0.90 line is where low risk ends.
WHR vs. waist-to-height ratio
Both look at central fat. WHR compares waist to hips; waist-to-height ratio compares waist to height with a single 0.5 cutoff that's easier to remember. Many clinicians now favor waist-to-height for its simplicity, but WHR remains a widely used, well-validated measure — and it needs no height at all.
Formula & sources
Waist-to-hip ratio
The WHO substantially-increased-risk thresholds are WHR above 0.90 for men and above 0.85 for women; the low/moderate/high bands fan out around those lines.
Sources
- World Health Organization (2008) Waist Circumference and Waist–Hip Ratio: Report of a WHO Expert Consultation. Geneva: WHO, 2008 (published 2011).
Waist-to-hip ratio FAQ
What is a healthy waist-to-hip ratio?
It depends where you draw the line. This calculator uses a three-tier convention: for women, 0.80 or below is low risk, 0.81–0.84 is moderate, and 0.85 or above is high; for men, 0.90 or below is low, 0.91–0.99 is moderate, and 1.00 or above is high. The World Health Organization's 2008 threshold for substantially increased risk — a WHR above 0.85 for women and above 0.90 for men — is the line the bands fan out around. Women's numbers run lower because they naturally carry more hip and thigh mass.
How do I measure my waist and hips?
Waist: at the narrowest point of your torso, or at the navel if there's no clear narrowing. Hips: around the widest part of the buttocks. Keep the tape horizontal and snug, measure on bare skin, and average two readings.
Is waist-to-hip ratio better than BMI?
It tells you something BMI can't — how your fat is distributed. A normal-BMI person with a high WHR may still carry risk-linked abdominal fat. Use it alongside BMI and waist measurement rather than instead of them.
Why are the cutoffs different for men and women?
Women typically store more fat around the hips and thighs, which lowers a healthy WHR. The World Health Organization's high-risk thresholds reflect that — above 0.90 for men versus above 0.85 for women — and this calculator's low / moderate / high bands follow the same sex split so the same ratio isn't read identically for both.