Last updated: March 2, 2026

Waist-to-Hip Ratio and Health Risk

Formula

Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is an important indicator of health risk related to body fat distribution. Abdominal fat (apple shape) is more strongly associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes than hip fat (pear shape).

According to the WHO, a WHR above 0.90 for men or 0.85 for women indicates substantially increased risk of metabolic complications.

Common use cases:

  • Assessing cardiovascular disease risk
  • Tracking body fat distribution changes
  • Complementing BMI with fat distribution data

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