Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) Calculator

Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is a quick screen for how your body fat is distributed. You divide your waist circumference by your hip circumference, both measured in the same unit:

WHR = waist ÷ hip

Because it divides one length by another, the unit cancels out — centimetres or inches give the same number, which is why the tool treats the unit toggle as validation and help-text only. The result is rounded to two decimal places for display, while the unrounded value is used for the threshold comparison so a figure like 0.849 is not mistakenly rounded up across a cut-off.

The primary, authoritative classification comes from the WHO Expert Consultation on Waist Circumference and Waist–Hip Ratio (Geneva, 2008; published 2011). It sets sex-specific “substantially increased risk” cut-offs:

• Men: WHR ≥ 0.90 → increased risk
• Women: WHR ≥ 0.85 → increased risk

The cut-off is inclusive, so a value exactly on it (0.90 for a man, 0.85 for a woman) already counts as increased risk. At or above the threshold the fat pattern is described as apple (android, central); below it as pear (gynoid, lower-body). Alongside the WHO binary, the tool shows an indicative band(lower, moderate, higher) drawn from the descriptive ranges commonly reproduced from the consultation — men < 0.90 lower, 0.90–0.99 moderate, ≥ 1.00 higher; women < 0.80 lower, 0.80–0.84 moderate, ≥ 0.85 higher. These are clearly labelled as context, not the authoritative cut-off.

Every result is cross-checked a second, independent way. Instead of computing the ratio first, the tool compares your waist directly against the threshold-scaled hip (0.90 × hip for men, 0.85 × hip for women). Because waist ≥ threshold × hip is algebraically the same as waist ÷ hip ≥ threshold, the two methods must agree before a band is shown — the same belt-and-braces check the site's tax tool runs against the IRD monthly formula. To measure accurately, the WHO STEPS manual says to take the waist at the midpoint between your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone at the end of a normal breath out, and the hip at the widest point over the buttocks with the tape level. WHR is a screening aid only — it does not diagnose any condition, and you should see a doctor for personal medical advice.

• WHO — Waist Circumference and Waist–Hip Ratio: Report of a WHO Expert Consultation, Geneva 2008 (the 0.90 / 0.85 cut-offs)
• WHO STEPS Surveillance Manual — physical measurements (waist and hip measurement technique)
• Sri Lanka Ministry of Health — NCD prevention (local context)

The cut-offs and bands on this page were last cross-checked against the WHO 2008 Expert Consultation report on 2026-07-08. They are reviewed whenever the underlying WHO guidance is updated.