{
  "id": "waist-to-height-ratio",
  "version": "a17aaf5cbb4a",
  "status": "published",
  "name": "Waist to Height Ratio Calculator",
  "question": "What is my waist to height ratio?",
  "summary": "Divides your waist circumference by your height and compares the waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) with the 0.5 and 0.6 boundaries for early health risk, with the largest waist that keeps the ratio below 0.5.",
  "category": "health",
  "subcategory": "body",
  "url": "https://www.acalculator.org/health/waist-to-height-ratio-calculator",
  "markdown": "https://www.acalculator.org/health/waist-to-height-ratio-calculator.md",
  "kind": "function",
  "method": "Waist-to-height ratio = waist ÷ height; below 0.5 no increased risk, 0.5 to below 0.6 increased risk, 0.6 or more very high risk.",
  "assumptions": [
    "The same boundaries apply to adult men and women (Ashwell and Gibson, 2016).",
    "Waist measured midway between the lowest rib and the top of the hip bone; height without shoes."
  ],
  "inputs": {
    "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "w": {
        "title": "Waist",
        "description": "Around your waist, midway between the lowest rib and the top of the hip bone.",
        "type": [
          "number",
          "string"
        ],
        "x-quantity": "length",
        "minimum": 0.1,
        "maximum": 3
      },
      "h": {
        "title": "Height",
        "description": "Your height without shoes.",
        "type": [
          "number",
          "string"
        ],
        "x-quantity": "length",
        "minimum": 0.5,
        "maximum": 2.75
      }
    }
  },
  "outputs": {
    "ratio": {
      "label": "Waist-to-height ratio",
      "description": "Waist ÷ height.",
      "format": "number"
    },
    "verdict": {
      "label": "Risk group",
      "description": "Below 0.5, 0.5 up to 0.6, or 0.6 and above.",
      "format": "text"
    },
    "limitIn": {
      "label": "Waist at a ratio of 0.5 (in)",
      "description": "Half your height, in inches: keep your waist below this.",
      "format": "number"
    },
    "limitCm": {
      "label": "Waist at a ratio of 0.5 (cm)",
      "description": "Half your height, in centimetres.",
      "format": "number"
    }
  },
  "defaultAnswer": {
    "inputs": {
      "w": 0.8128,
      "h": 1.778
    },
    "outputs": {
      "ratio": 0.45714285714285713,
      "verdict": "No increased risk",
      "limitIn": 35,
      "limitCm": 88.9
    },
    "text": "A 32 in waist at a height of 5 ft 10 in gives a waist-to-height ratio of 0.457: No increased risk."
  },
  "examples": [
    {
      "given": {
        "w": 0.8635999999999999,
        "h": 1.7271999999999998
      },
      "expect": {
        "ratio": 0.5,
        "verdict": "Increased risk",
        "limitIn": 34
      },
      "source": "Ashwell and Gibson, 2016, Waist-to-height ratio as an indicator of ‘early health risk’, BMJ Open 6:e010159 (WHtR < 0.5 no increased risk, 0.5 to < 0.6 increased risk, ≥ 0.6 very high risk), https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26975935/; hand calculation in content.mdx: 34 ÷ 68 = 0.5 exactly"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "w": 0.8,
        "h": 1.75
      },
      "expect": {
        "ratio": 0.4571428571428572,
        "verdict": "No increased risk",
        "limitCm": 87.5
      },
      "source": "Ashwell and Gibson, 2016, Waist-to-height ratio as an indicator of ‘early health risk’, BMJ Open 6:e010159 (WHtR < 0.5 no increased risk, 0.5 to < 0.6 increased risk, ≥ 0.6 very high risk), https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26975935/; hand calculation in content.mdx: 80 ÷ 175 = 0.457; half of 175 cm = 87.5 cm"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "w": 0.9601199999999999,
        "h": 1.6001999999999998
      },
      "expect": {
        "ratio": 0.6,
        "verdict": "Very high risk"
      },
      "source": "Ashwell and Gibson, 2016, Waist-to-height ratio as an indicator of ‘early health risk’, BMJ Open 6:e010159 (WHtR < 0.5 no increased risk, 0.5 to < 0.6 increased risk, ≥ 0.6 very high risk), https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26975935/; hand calculation in content.mdx: 37.8 ÷ 63 = 0.6 exactly"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    "Ashwell, M. and S. Gibson (2016). Waist-to-height ratio as an indicator of ‘early health risk’: simpler and more predictive than using a ‘matrix’ based on BMI and waist circumference. BMJ Open 6:e010159. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26975935/ (retrieved 2026-10-01)",
    "NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B: 1 in = 2.54 cm exactly. https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-811 (retrieved 2026-10-01)"
  ],
  "related": [
    "waist-to-hip-ratio",
    "bmi",
    "body-fat"
  ],
  "changelog": []
}