Calculate your waist-to-hip ratio and see your health risk category based on WHO guidelines.
Calculate My Ratio ↓Based on WHO waist-to-hip ratio health risk thresholds.
Fat stored primarily around the abdomen (an "apple" shape) is metabolically more active than fat stored elsewhere, and is more strongly associated with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease risk.
Fat stored primarily around the hips and thighs (a "pear" shape) is generally considered lower risk metabolically, though it doesn't mean total body fat or weight becomes irrelevant to overall health.
Measure your waist at the narrowest point, usually just above the belly button, and your hips at the widest point around your buttocks. Keep the tape snug against the skin without compressing it, and measure at the end of a normal exhale.
Waist-to-hip ratio can change with body composition shifts even when total weight stays similar, making it a useful complementary measurement alongside weight and BMI, particularly for tracking abdominal fat changes specifically.
This calculator divides your waist measurement by your hip measurement to produce a simple ratio, then compares it against World Health Organization risk thresholds: for men, below 0.90 is considered low risk, 0.90-0.99 moderate, and 1.00 or above high risk. For women, the thresholds are lower — below 0.80 is low risk, 0.80-0.84 moderate, and 0.85 or above high risk. These differing thresholds reflect typical differences in fat distribution patterns between men and women.
Waist-to-hip ratio is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. It doesn't account for individual variation in bone structure or overall frame size, and like any single measurement, it captures one dimension of health risk rather than the complete picture. Combining it with other markers — BMI, blood pressure, blood sugar, and overall activity level — gives a considerably more complete view than any single number alone. If your ratio falls in the higher-risk range, discussing it with a doctor is more useful than acting on the number in isolation.