Waist-to-Height Ratio Calculator (NICE)

Check your waist-to-height ratio in seconds. Divide your waist by your height to see whether you are in the healthy band set by NICE in 2022 (keep your waist to less than half your height) and exactly how much waist you need to lose to get there.

Midway between your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone (just above the belly button), after a normal breath out.

Your waist-to-height ratio
0.00
0.30.40.50.60.8
0keep your waist below this (half your height)
0waist to lose to reach 0.5
0waist at a ratio of 0.6 (high band)

NICE waist-to-height bands for adults

Ratio NICE category
NICE recommends this measure for adults with a BMI below 35. The same bands apply to men and women of all ethnic groups. Waist size tracks the fat stored around your organs, which is the type most linked to heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
This is a screening number, not a diagnosis. If your ratio is 0.5 or higher, a check-up with your doctor (blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol) is a smart next step, especially if heart disease or diabetes runs in your family.

How the waist-to-height ratio calculator works

It simply divides your waist by your height, using the same unit for both. In its 2022 update to the obesity guideline (now part of NICE guideline NG246), the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) set these bands for adults: 0.4 to 0.49 is healthy central adiposity with no increased health risks, 0.5 to 0.59 means increased health risks, and 0.6 or more means further increased health risks. The public message is simple: keep your waist to less than half your height.

The “waist to lose” figure is your waist minus half your height. For example, a man who is 178 cm tall should keep his waist below 89 cm. Ratios are shown rounded down to two decimals, so the number you see always matches the NICE band.

Why waist beats the scale after 35

Two men can weigh the same and carry very different amounts of belly fat. BMI cannot see that difference, but a tape measure can. Waist size also responds to good habits even when the scale is slow: strength training, daily walking, enough protein and sleep, and less alcohol. Measure every 2–4 weeks, at the same time of day, and watch the trend. Read more: heart health after 35, prediabetes after 35 and how to lose fat and keep muscle.

Sources

  1. NICE guideline NG246: identifying and assessing overweight, obesity and central adiposity (waist-to-height ratio bands and how to measure)

This calculator gives general education, not medical advice. It cannot diagnose any condition. Talk to your doctor about your health risks, especially if you have high blood pressure, diabetes or a heart condition.

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