What is a healthy waist-to-height ratio?

Below 0.5. The simple rule, endorsed by NICE in the UK, is to keep your waist circumference under half your height. A ratio of 0.4 to 0.5 is the healthy band, 0.5 to 0.6 signals increased risk, and 0.6 or above signals high risk.

Why is waist-to-height ratio better than BMI?

BMI cannot tell muscle from fat or say where fat sits. Waist-to-height ratio captures central (abdominal) fat, which is the type most strongly linked to metabolic and cardiovascular risk. It works across ages, sexes, and ethnicities with a single boundary, which BMI does not.

How do I measure my waist correctly?

Measure at the level of your navel, standing relaxed, after breathing out normally. Do not pull the tape tight or suck in. Use your trouser tape measurement, not your trouser label size, which is usually smaller than reality.

Body Composition

Waist-to-Height Ratio Calculator

A healthy waist-to-height ratio is under 0.5, the simple rule of keeping your waist less than half your height. Between 0.5 and 0.6 signals increased health risk, and 0.6 or above is high risk. It predicts cardiometabolic risk better than BMI because it reflects visceral fat around your organs, not just total weight.

One number that beats the bathroom scale and BMI for everyday health risk. The target is simple: keep your waist under half your height. Based on the 0.5 boundary endorsed by NICE and validated across populations.

Medically reviewed by Dr Luqman Haris, MBBS

Why your waist beats your weight

Two people can weigh the same and carry very different health risk, because weight says nothing about where fat sits or how much muscle you carry. Fat stored around the abdomen is the type most strongly linked to heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Waist-to-height ratio captures exactly that, with one rule that holds across ages and body types: keep your waist under half your height. It is the reason we treat body composition, not bodyweight, as one of the four pillars of healthspan.

Waist-to-height ratio chart

The risk bands behind the 0.5 boundary. Source: Ashwell & Gibson 2016 (BMJ Open) and NICE NG246.

Waist-to-height ratio	What it means
Below 0.40	Below healthy range
0.40 to 0.49	Healthy (the target)
0.50 to 0.59	Increased risk
0.60 and above	High risk

Waist-to-height, common questions

What is a healthy waist-to-height ratio?: Below 0.5. The simple rule, endorsed by NICE in the UK, is to keep your waist circumference under half your height. A ratio of 0.4 to 0.5 is the healthy band, 0.5 to 0.6 signals increased risk, and 0.6 or above signals high risk.
Why is waist-to-height ratio better than BMI?: BMI cannot tell muscle from fat or say where fat sits. Waist-to-height ratio captures central (abdominal) fat, which is the type most strongly linked to metabolic and cardiovascular risk. It works across ages, sexes, and ethnicities with a single boundary, which BMI does not.
How do I measure my waist correctly?: Measure at the level of your navel, standing relaxed, after breathing out normally. Do not pull the tape tight or suck in. Use your trouser tape measurement, not your trouser label size, which is usually smaller than reality.

References

Ashwell M & Gibson S 2016, BMJ Open (waist-to-height 0.5)
NICE guideline NG246 (2022): waist-to-height < 0.5 nice.org.uk
Browning LM et al. 2010, Nutr Res Rev (0.5 boundary across populations)

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