Waist-Height Ratio: The Simple 0.5 Guide Explained
A single division gives a number that is easy to remember. Here is how the 0.5 guide works and where it falls short.
What is the Waist-Height Ratio Calculator?
Divide your waist by your height and you get a ratio that many people find easier to picture than weight alone. Values near 0.5 are often used as a rough guide, with higher values sitting in a higher band. Treat the result as a general prompt to look at overall habits, not as a medical verdict.
How to use it
- Measure your waist in centimetres.
- Enter your height in centimetres.
- Click Calculate Ratio and read the band.
Worked example
Waist 80 cm and height 170 cm give a ratio of 0.47, below 0.5.
What waist-height ratio should I aim for?
As a rough guide, many sources point to keeping the ratio below 0.5, which for a 170 cm person means a waist under 85 cm. It is a guide, not a target set by a clinician for you personally.
Frequently asked questions
Do I measure waist at the belly button?
Measure around the middle, roughly at belly-button level, with the tape level and relaxed.
Why use height at all?
Height gives the waist a scale, so the same waist means something different for a shorter and a taller person.