What is Waist to Hip Ratio

Your waist to hip ratio is an important tool that helps you determine your overall health risk. People with more weight around their waist are at greater risk of lifestyle related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes than those with weight around their hips.

To determine if you have a healthy waist to hip ratio, use a measuring tape to measure the circumference of your hips at the widest part of your buttocks. Then measure your waist at the smaller circumference of your natural waist, usually just above the belly button.

How to calculate Waist to Hip Ratio

To determine the ratio, divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement.

Waist to Hip Ratio Chart

Once you have your ratio, you can compare your results to that of the table below-

Male

• 0.95 or below = low health risk
• 0.96 to 1.0 = Moderate health risk
• 1.0+ = High health risk

Female

• 0.80 or below = low health risk
• 0.81 to 0.85 = moderate health risk
• 0.85+ = high health risk