How do you calculate waist-to-height ratio?
The tape measure is more honest than the scales: BMI can’t tell muscle from belly fat, waist-to-height can. The rule is simple: keep your waist under half your height.
Above the 0.5 anchor: visceral fat is starting to press on metabolism. Good news — the waist goes first: −5 kg usually takes −4…−6 cm. Target waist for your height: under 88 cm.
Sources: Ashwell & Gibson, 2016 (review: WHtR predicts cardiometabolic risk better than BMI); NICE 2022 recommends the “waist < half height” rule. Measure at navel level, without pulling the belly in.
How to use the result
How it works
Divide waist circumference by height in the same units and compare with the 0.5 threshold — “waist under half your height.”
How to read the result
The ratio catches what BMI misses — abdominal fat. It's still one measure, though, not a whole health portrait.
Limitations
Results depend on measurement technique and do not apply during pregnancy. Do not use it for self-diagnosis.
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Take the short health-factor map and see how this connects to your own lifestyle.