Body measure
Waist circumference check
Where you carry fat matters, not only how much you weigh. NHLBI says a waist of more than 40 inches for men or more than 35 inches for women increases your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Enter your waist to see how it compares.
Your waist
The thresholds differ for men and women. Nothing you enter leaves this page.
What you will see
Your waist in inches and cm, whether it is above the NHLBI threshold for your sex, and where it falls on the WHO cutoffs.
Educational only, not medical advice. A waist size alone cannot diagnose any disease.
Source
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Aim for a Healthy Weight (US thresholds and how to measure), and the World Health Organization expert consultation report Waist circumference and waist-hip ratio (2008, published 2011) for the cm cutoffs.
Validated in
Adults. The WHO report found that a larger waist goes with higher disease risk in diverse populations, though most data came from people of European descent.
Limits
A single measure, not a diagnosis or a risk estimate. Risk at a given waist size differs between populations, and NHLBI notes that providers may use different values depending on race and ethnicity. Not for pregnancy or children.
The thresholds
NHLBI says that if most of your fat is around your waist rather than at your hips, you are at higher risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and that a waist of more than 35 inches for women or more than 40 inches for men increases your risk (NHLBI). The WHO expert report lists cutoffs in centimeters for the risk of metabolic complications (WHO 2008):
| Source | Men | Women | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHLBI | More than 40 in (101.6 cm) | More than 35 in (88.9 cm) | Increases your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes |
| WHO | Over 94 cm (37 in) | Over 80 cm (31.5 in) | Increased risk of metabolic complications |
| WHO | Over 102 cm (40.2 in) | Over 88 cm (34.6 in) | Substantially increased risk of metabolic complications |
Values in brackets are our conversions (1 inch = 2.54 cm). The calculator compares your waist with the NHLBI values in inches and with the WHO values in cm, each rounded to 1 decimal. The WHO report notes that its waist values came from an example in an earlier WHO obesity report, based on a Dutch study, and were not formal WHO recommendations (WHO 2008).
Why waist size and ethnicity
The WHO experts found that risk at a given waist size varies between populations, with people of Asian descent at higher diabetes risk than their BMI would suggest (WHO 2008). For metabolic syndrome, NHLBI notes that providers may use different waist values depending on race and ethnicity (NHLBI), and the 2009 joint statement lists lower cut points for some groups, for example the IDF cut points of 90 cm or more for men and 80 cm or more for women in people of Asian (including Japanese) and ethnic Central and South American origin (Alberti 2009). Our metabolic syndrome criteria checker lets you pick the waist cut points for your population.
How to measure your waist
- NHLBI: stand and place a tape measure around your middle, just above your hip bones, and measure just after you breathe out (NHLBI).
- WHO: measure at the end of a normal breath out, halfway between the bottom of your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone, with the tape level with the floor and snug but not tight (WHO 2008).
- The two methods place the tape at slightly different heights, so use the same method each time you check.
Waist size, waist-to-height and waist-to-hip
This check looks at your waist on its own against fixed thresholds for men and women. The waist-to-height ratio compares your waist with your height, so a tall and a short person with the same waist get different results. The waist-to-hip ratio compares your waist with your hips. The WHO report favored waist circumference over waist-to-hip ratio because the waist alone is easier to measure, and said it is useful to also know your BMI where possible (WHO 2008). Work out your BMI too.
What to do next
A large waist is one of the five metabolic syndrome criteria, along with high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure and high fasting blood sugar (Alberti 2009). Check all five with the metabolic syndrome criteria checker, see your type 2 diabetes risk, or estimate your 10-year heart risk. If you have been diagnosed with overweight or obesity, NHLBI says health professionals recommend losing 5% to 10% of your starting weight over about 6 months, and that even 3% to 5% can lower triglycerides, blood sugar and your risk of type 2 diabetes (NHLBI).
Sources
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Heart-Healthy Living: Aim for a Healthy Weight. Last updated December 11, 2025. www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart-healthy-living/healthy-weight
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Metabolic Syndrome: Diagnosis. Updated May 18, 2022. www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/metabolic-syndrome/diagnosis
- World Health Organization. Waist circumference and waist-hip ratio: report of a WHO expert consultation, Geneva, 8-11 December 2008. Geneva: WHO; 2011. ISBN 978 92 4 150149 1. iris.who.int/handle/10665/44583
- Alberti KGMM, Eckel RH, Grundy SM, et al. Harmonizing the metabolic syndrome: a joint interim statement of the International Diabetes Federation Task Force on Epidemiology and Prevention; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; American Heart Association; World Heart Federation; International Atherosclerosis Society; and International Association for the Study of Obesity. Circulation. 2009;120(16):1640-1645. doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.192644
Written and maintained by the uncovermyrisk.com editorial team. We do not have a medical reviewer; every claim links to its primary source above. Last reviewed: 2026-11-01. Spotted an error? See About.