Waist circumference
How does my waist measurement compare?
Use the same measurement location as the NCHS survey, then compare with age-based percentiles for adult U.S. men.
Waist percentile calculator
Measure in the same place
- Stand upright and breathe normally.
- Find the uppermost lateral border of the hip crest.
- Keep the tape horizontal and snug without compressing skin.
- Record the measurement after a normal breath.
Other guides may use the midpoint between the lowest rib and hip crest or the level of the navel. Those results are not directly interchangeable.
Measured distribution
Adult male waist by age
Values are centimeters because that is how the NCHS table reports the distribution.
10th percentileMedian90th percentile
The all-adult median was 100.9 cm
That is about 39.7 inches. The mean was higher at 103.0 cm, illustrating why mean and median are not interchangeable.
Percentile is not risk assessment
Waist measurement can contribute to health assessment, but a population percentile is not itself a diagnosis. Ask a clinician how waist, blood pressure, laboratory values, history, and other factors fit together.