Waist-to-Height Ratio Calculator
Compute waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), a better cardiovascular risk predictor than BMI for most adults. Keep waist under half your height.
HEALTHWHtR is a simple cardiometabolic-risk indicator: keep your waist under half your height. NICE (UK) and AACE guidelines treat WHtR as a better predictor of cardiovascular disease than BMI for most adults.
BMI doesn't distinguish abdominal fat (the metabolically dangerous kind) from total body weight. Two people with identical BMI can have very different risk. The 0.50 cutoff (waist below half height) works across most adult populations regardless of sex, ethnicity, or height — and starts at age 6+ for children.
Waist-to-Height Ratio Calculator
WHtR is a simple cardiometabolic-risk indicator: keep your waist under half your height. Recent NICE (UK) and AACE guidelines treat WHtR as a better predictor of cardiovascular disease than BMI for most adults.
Why WHtR Beats BMI
BMI doesn't distinguish abdominal fat (the metabolically dangerous kind) from total body weight. Two people with identical BMI can have very different cardiovascular risk depending on where the fat sits. Visceral fat - the fat around organs - drives most of the diabetes and heart disease risk associated with obesity, and WHtR captures it directly.
The 0.50 cutoff (waist < half height) works across most adult populations regardless of sex, ethnicity, or height - simpler to remember than sex-specific BMI cutoffs. Children and adolescents use the same 0.50 threshold from age 6+.
Screening tool only. WHtR does not diagnose disease. Pregnancy, athletic muscle mass, or unusual body proportions can affect the reading. Consult a healthcare provider for a full cardiometabolic risk assessment including blood pressure, lipids, and fasting glucose.