Waist To Hip Ratio
Calculator

You divide your waist circumference by your hip circumference, both measured in the same units, to get a ratio that reflects your body's fat distribution pattern. A higher ratio indicates more of an 'apple' shape with fat concentrated around the abdomen, while a lower ratio reflects more of a 'pear' shape.

The World Health Organization generally considers a ratio above 0.90 for men or 0.85 for women to indicate increased health risk, though exact cutoffs vary slightly between guidelines. These thresholds exist because abdominal fat carries more metabolic risk than fat stored in the hips and thighs.

Fat stored around abdominal organs (visceral fat) is more metabolically active and linked to insulin resistance, inflammation, and cardiovascular risk than fat stored subcutaneously in the hips and thighs. Two people with identical body fat percentages can have very different health risk profiles based on this distribution alone.

Hip circumference is typically measured at the widest point around your buttocks, while the waist is measured at its narrowest point or at the navel, both without compressing the skin with the tape measure. Using inconsistent measurement points between sessions will distort any comparison over time.

Yes, this is common, since fat distribution can shift with age, hormonal changes (particularly after menopause), and lifestyle factors independent of total body weight. Tracking this ratio over time can reveal changes in health risk that a bathroom scale alone would miss entirely.