Waist-to-height ratio calculator

A simple rule from UK health guidance: keep your waist to less than half your height. It flags fat around the middle, which matters more for many Indians than total weight. Enter your height and waist to check.

Your waist-to-height ratio

0.51

Increased: increased health risk

Keep your waist under85 cmabout 33.5 in, half your height

Your waist86 cm34.0 in

Check your BMI with Indian cut-offs

General information for adults, not medical advice. The bands are for adults with a BMI under 35 and do not apply during pregnancy. If your ratio is 0.5 or more, a doctor can check your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol.

Waist-to-height ratio bands

Band	Ratio	What it means
Healthy	0.4–0.49	No increased health risk
Increased	0.5–0.59	Increased health risk
High	0.6 or more	Further increased health risk

The ratio is your waist divided by your height, in the same units. For example, a 34-inch waist at 5 ft 7 in (67 inches) gives 34 ÷ 67 = 0.51, just over the line.

Healthy waist size by height

Height	Keep your waist under	In inches
4 ft 10 in	74 cm	29 in
5 ft 0 in	76 cm	30 in
5 ft 2 in	79 cm	31 in
5 ft 4 in	81 cm	32 in
5 ft 6 in	84 cm	33 in
5 ft 8 in	86 cm	34 in
5 ft 10 in	89 cm	35 in
6 ft 0 in	91 cm	36 in

Waist size responds to strength training, regular walking, enough sleep and eating a little less, usually faster than the scale shows. Track it every two to four weeks; see the body measurement tracker guide, and pair it with the BMI calculator with Indian cut-offs.

Track your waist, not just your weight

Iterofit logs body measurements, weight and progress photos next to your workouts, food and a daily check-in. Free on iPhone and Android.

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

See what Iterofit tracks

Questions

What is a healthy waist-to-height ratio?

Below 0.5, which means your waist is less than half your height. NICE guidance classes 0.4 to 0.49 as healthy, 0.5 to 0.59 as increased health risk and 0.6 or more as further increased risk.

Is waist-to-height ratio better than BMI?

It adds something BMI misses: where fat sits. A meta-analysis by Ashwell and colleagues found waist-to-height ratio was a better screening tool for heart and metabolic risk than BMI or waist size alone. Using both gives a fuller picture.

Why does this matter for Indians?

Many South Asian people carry more fat around the middle at a lower body weight, which raises the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. NICE notes that people from some ethnic minority backgrounds are prone to central fat and at risk at a lower BMI, and Indian guidelines flag a waist above 90 cm for men and 80 cm for women.

Where should I measure my waist?

Around your bare stomach, halfway between your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone, after breathing out normally. This is usually higher than where your trousers sit, so your trouser size is not your waist size.

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