Waist Size and Health: What It Tells You

Your waist size tells you how much fat you carry around your middle, which is linked more closely with type 2 diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure than weight alone. The simplest check is the waist-to-height ratio: the NHS advises keeping your waist to less than half your height. So a person who is 170 cm tall should aim for a waist below 85 cm. A World Health Organization expert report also sets waist thresholds: health risks increase from 94 cm (37 inches) for men and 80 cm (31.5 inches) for women, and are substantially increased from 102 cm (40 inches) and 88 cm (34.5 inches). People of South Asian and some other ethnic backgrounds have higher risk at lower measurements.

Why waist size matters

Fat stored around the abdomen includes visceral fat, which surrounds the internal organs such as the liver and pancreas. Visceral fat is more metabolically active than fat under the skin on the hips and thighs, and it’s linked with insulin resistance, raised blood fats, high blood pressure and inflammation. That’s why two people with the same BMI can have different health risks depending on where they carry their weight.

BMI doesn’t distinguish between muscle and fat or show where fat is stored. Waist measurements add useful information, especially for people with a “normal” BMI but a large waist, and for people with a lot of muscle, whose BMI may overstate their risk.

How to measure your waist

1. Stand up straight and breathe out normally.
2. Find the right spot: halfway between the bottom of your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone. This is often around the level of your belly button, but not always.
3. Wrap a tape measure around your waist at that level, keeping it flat and snug but not tight.
4. Read the measurement after breathing out, without pulling your stomach in.
5. Measure twice and take the average.

Don’t measure around your trouser waistband, which is often lower than your natural waist.

Waist-to-height ratio

Divide your waist measurement by your height, using the same units.

The NHS uses this ratio in its BMI and waist-to-height calculator for adults with a BMI under 35. It works for people of all ethnic backgrounds and for both men and women, which makes it a simple everyday check.

Waist thresholds by sex

These are the WHO thresholds commonly used for people of European descent. Lower cut-offs are often used for South Asian, Chinese and Japanese adults, such as 90 cm for men and 80 cm for women, because health risks rise at smaller waist sizes.

What raises waist size?

• Weight gain in general, especially with age.
• Genetics, which affect where you store fat.
• The menopause, which shifts fat storage toward the abdomen.
• Alcohol, which adds calories and is linked with abdominal fat.
• Inactivity and long periods of sitting.
• Poor sleep and chronic stress.
• Diets high in sugary drinks, refined carbs and ultra-processed food.

How to reduce your waist

You can’t “spot reduce” fat from your stomach with sit-ups alone, but losing weight overall reduces visceral fat, often noticeably. Things that help:

1. Cut sugary drinks and alcohol, two of the easiest sources of extra calories. Our guide to healthy drinks has alternatives.
2. Eat more fiber from vegetables, beans, whole grains and fruit. Our guide to whole grains explains what counts.
3. Include protein at every meal to stay full.
4. Be active: the NHS recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity a week plus strength exercises on two days. Both aerobic exercise and strength training help reduce abdominal fat.
5. Sleep 7 to 9 hours where you can.
6. Aim for steady weight loss of about 0.5 to 1 kg a week if you’re overweight. Our guide to losing weight safely has a plan.

Even small reductions in waist size can improve blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol.

Health risks linked with a large waist

A large waist is linked with a higher risk of:

• Type 2 diabetes, because visceral fat contributes to insulin resistance.
• Heart disease and stroke, through effects on blood pressure, cholesterol and inflammation.
• Fatty liver disease, which often has no symptoms in its early stages.
• Sleep apnea, especially in men.
• Some cancers, including bowel and breast cancer after the menopause.

If your waist-to-height ratio is 0.5 or more, it’s worth asking your doctor about checking your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, especially if you have a family history of diabetes or heart disease.

Track your progress

Measuring your waist every few weeks is a useful way to track progress, as the scales can stay still while you lose fat and gain muscle. Measure at the same time of day, in the same spot, ideally in the morning before eating.

Common questions

Is waist size more important than weight?

Both are useful. Waist size adds information about where fat is stored, which BMI doesn’t show.

Why is my waist bigger after the menopause?

Lower estrogen levels shift fat storage toward the abdomen. Regular activity, strength training and a balanced diet help. Our menopause diet guide has more.

Does bloating affect my waist measurement?

Yes. Measure in the morning and on a day when you’re not bloated for the most consistent result.

What’s a healthy waist size for my height?

Divide your height by two: a waist measurement below that number is in the healthy range for most adults. For example, at 160 cm tall, aim for a waist under 80 cm, and at 180 cm, under 90 cm. If you’re very muscular or pregnant, waist measures are less useful, so talk to your doctor.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before making big changes to how you eat, especially if you have a health condition, take regular medication, or are pregnant or breastfeeding.