Divide your waist by your height and you get a risk marker that outperforms BMI — using nothing but a tape measure.
Waist-to-Height Ratio Calculator
A better predictor of metabolic risk than BMI, and it needs only a tape measure.
How to measure: at the top of your hip bones, at the end of a normal exhale, tape snug but not compressing. Not at the narrowest point, and not holding your breath. Limits: the widely used 0.5 threshold is a simple rule of thumb, not a diagnosis, and cut-offs differ by ancestry — people of South and East Asian descent carry elevated risk at lower ratios. It also cannot distinguish visceral fat from muscle or bloating.
Related reading
Why this beats the scale is covered in waist size predicts health better than the scale, and why a normal weight is not automatically reassuring in normal-weight obesity. To reduce it, see how to lose belly fat.
These calculators are for general education and are not medical advice or a diagnosis. Always discuss your own numbers with your doctor.