What is a healthy waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) for men and women?
Find your WHR, your WHO risk category, and your percentile among US adults your age.
Example · adjust left to recalculate
-- | -- th percentile WHR
Body Shape Classification
- Apple: High WHR, more weight around waist than hips. Associated with higher cardiovascular risk.
- Pear: Low WHR, more weight around hips. Generally lower cardiovascular risk.
- Rectangle/Hourglass: Moderate WHR. Generally healthy ranges.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to common questions
What should my waist to hip ratio be?
Per WHO: men should be below 0.90 (low risk) or 1.00 (moderate), women below 0.80 (low risk) or 0.85 (moderate). Higher values indicate increased cardiovascular risk.
Is waist to hip ratio important for health?
Yes — the INTERHEART study found WHR to be one of the strongest predictors of heart attack risk, more informative than BMI alone.
What body shape has the highest WHR?
Apple-shaped bodies (more weight around the waist than hips) have the highest WHR. Pear-shaped bodies (more hip weight) have lower WHR.
References
Peer-reviewed sources behind this calculator
- Yusuf S, et al. (2005). The Lancet. Obesity and the risk of myocardial infarction in 27,000 participants from 52 countries: a case-control study (INTERHEART). doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(05)67663-5
- World Health Organization (2011). WHO Technical Report Series 894. Waist circumference and waist-hip ratio: report of a WHO expert consultation.
- Pischon T, et al. (2008). New England Journal of Medicine. General and abdominal adiposity and risk of death in Europe. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa0801891
Show all 4 references
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021). NHANES 2011-2018. Body Measures (BMX) Data Documentation.
Methodology
WHR = waist / hip. Data: NHANES 2011-2023. WHO risk thresholds as above.
Disclaimer: For informational purposes only.