Waist-to-hip ratio calculator
Two measurements, one ratio, and the line that produced it. Your WHR is the number most body shape rules turn on, so this page shows where it sits against this site's own thresholds and against the published reference ranges.
Waist-to-Hip Ratio Calculator
Waist at the narrowest point, hips at the fullest. Shoulders are optional.
waist 28 ÷ hip 39 = 0.72
At or below 0.75, the waist is clearly drawn against the hip: the hourglass and pear range in this site's rules.
Below the WHO's 0.85 reference cut-off for women. Reference only: see the note on the WHO figure below.
The ratio is one of four comparisons the body shape calculator makes. Add bust and shoulders there for the full reading.
What the ratio means for body shape
Waist-to-hip ratio is the waist measurement divided by the hip measurement. It is unit-free, so a 71 cm waist over 99 cm hips and a 28-inch waist over 39-inch hips give the same 0.72. Two of the five rules the body shape calculator runs are statements about this ratio, and the thresholds are the same here as there.
waist ÷ hip ≤ 0.75 → a defined waist · HOURGLASS or PEAR range
0.75 < waist ÷ hip < 0.85 → a moderate waist · RECTANGLE range
waist ÷ hip ≥ 0.85 → fullness through the middle · APPLE range
The ratio alone cannot separate a pear from an inverted triangle, because the width can sit at either end with the same waist. That is what the bust and shoulder readings are for.
Worked examples
| Waist | Hips | WHR | Reads as |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 in | 38 in | 0.71 | the hourglass reference form |
| 29 in | 40 in | 0.72 | a pear with a drawn waist |
| 30.5 in | 36.5 in | 0.84 | the rectangle reference form |
| 39 in | 37 in | 1.05 | the apple reference form |
The WHO reference figure
Most searches for a waist-to-hip ratio calculator are comparing the number against one published cut-off: the World Health Organization's expert consultation of December 2008 (Waist Circumference and Waist–Hip Ratio, published 2011) gives 0.85 for women and 0.90 for men as the ratios above which it associates substantially increased metabolic risk. The calculator prints which side of that line your ratio falls on because that is the comparison people come here to make.
It is a reference figure, not a reading of you. The same report notes that the cut-offs vary by population and that circumference is affected by how the tape is held. This site is about proportion and what to wear; questions about your own health belong with a clinician.
How to measure
Waist
The narrowest point of the torso, usually about an inch above the navel. Bend to one side and measure at the crease. Tape snug, not tight, breathing normally. The WHO protocol measures midway between the lowest rib and the top of the hip bone, which lands in the same place on most people.
Hips
The fullest part of the seat, feet together, tape level all the way round. Apart, you read narrower than you are.
Shoulders, if you want the second ratio
Across the back from the outer edge of one shoulder to the other, or around the shoulders at the widest point. Either way, use the same method you would use in the full calculator.
Questions
- How do I calculate my waist-to-hip ratio?
- Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement, both in the same unit. A 28-inch waist over 39-inch hips is 28 ÷ 39 = 0.72. The calculator above does the division and prints the line so you can check it. Measure the waist at its narrowest point, usually an inch above the navel, and the hips at the fullest point of the seat with your feet together.
- What is a good waist-to-hip ratio?
- It depends on what the question is for. For body shape, there is no good or bad: at or below 0.75 the waist is clearly drawn (hourglass and pear territory), from 0.75 to 0.85 it is moderate (rectangle), and at or above 0.85 the fullness sits through the middle (apple). The WHO's 2008 expert consultation gives 0.85 for women and 0.90 for men as the cut-offs it associates with increased metabolic risk; those are reference figures from a public-health report, and anything about your own health is a conversation with a clinician, not with a calculator.
- Is 0.7 the ideal waist-to-hip ratio?
- The 0.7 figure comes from attractiveness research, most famously Devendra Singh's 1993 studies in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, where line drawings with a 0.7 ratio were rated highest by the participants. It is a finding about ratings of drawings, not a target, and later studies found the preference shifts with culture and with what else the drawing shows. This site treats 0.7 as what it is: a number inside the hourglass range.
- Does waist-to-hip ratio tell me my body shape?
- It tells you about the waist, which is two of the five rules. It cannot tell a pear from an inverted triangle, because both can have the same ratio while the width sits at opposite ends. That needs the bust and shoulder measurements as well, which is why the full body shape calculator asks for four numbers and this page asks for two.
- What is the shoulder-to-hip ratio?
- Shoulder measurement divided by hip measurement. Above 1.05 the shoulder clears the hip by more than the 5% margin the site uses, the inverted-triangle reading; below 0.95 the hip leads, the pear reading; within 5% either way neither end leads and the waist decides. Enter your shoulders above and the calculator prints this ratio too.
- Can I use centimeters?
- Yes. The ratio is one measurement divided by another, so the unit cancels. Just keep both numbers in the same unit.
- Is this a medical calculator?
- No. It is a measurement tool from a site about body shape and what to wear. The WHO cut-offs are quoted because they are published and people compare their ratio against them, and they are labelled as reference figures for that reason. Nothing here diagnoses anything.
The other three comparisons
Add bust and shoulders and the body shape calculator runs all five rules, prints the one that fired, and draws your form from the numbers. Men's proportions have their own calculator.
Run the body shape calculator