Health & Wellbeing

Waist-to-Height Ratio

A simple check of fat carried around the middle.

Education and reference only. Not a substitute for clinical judgement, local policy or product labelling. Always verify before clinical use. Values are calculated in your browser and never stored.

When to use

Use to check whether you may be carrying too much fat around your middle, which affects health more than overall weight.

Why use

Waist-to-height ratio is a quick, evidence-based measure — a good rule of thumb is to keep your waist to less than half your height.

Advice

Measure your waist midway between the bottom of your ribs and the top of your hips, after breathing out. Keeping your waist under half your height helps lower the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

References

  1. NICE guidance on waist-to-height ratio for assessing central adiposity.

Related calculators

Body Mass Index (BMI)Weight-for-height screening measure.Waist-to-Hip RatioFat distribution as a heart-health marker.

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