Waist to Hip Ratio Calculator Formula

Understand the math behind the waist to hip ratio calculator. Each variable explained with a worked example.

Formulas Used

Waist-to-Hip Ratio

whr = waist / hip

Variables

VariableDescriptionDefault
waistWaist Circumference(inches)34
hipHip Circumference(inches)40

How It Works

Waist-to-Hip Ratio

WHR = Waist Circumference / Hip Circumference

Health Risk Categories

| Gender | Low Risk | Moderate Risk | High Risk | |---|---|---|---| | Male | < 0.90 | 0.90 - 0.99 | 1.0+ | | Female | < 0.80 | 0.80 - 0.84 | 0.85+ |

WHR is considered a better predictor of cardiovascular risk than BMI alone.

Worked Example

A person with a 34-inch waist and 40-inch hips.

waist = 34hip = 40
  1. 01WHR = 34 / 40 = 0.850

Ready to run the numbers?

Open Waist to Hip Ratio Calculator