Abdominal and visceral fat play a significant role in various health markers.
Your waist size is a key indicator of overall health. The amount of abdominal and visceral fat surrounding your organs plays a crucial role in determining this measurement. This type of fat has a significant influence on various health markers, including blood glucose levels, cholesterol levels, lipid profiles, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure (1). Simply put, a larger waistline often signals greater health risks.
There’s also an aesthetic factor to consider. A protruding belly is often associated with unhealthy weight, while a slimmer waistline is commonly perceived as a sign of good fitness.
But what qualifies as a healthy waist size? How does this differ between genders? And can diet and exercise help reduce your waistline effectively? This article explores these questions and delves into the average waist size, providing valuable insights to help you achieve better health outcomes.
Overview — What Is the Average Waist Size?
Before getting into what the average waist size is, let’s look at the definition of waist size. Waist size is the measurement around your midsection. This midsection is usually located at the narrowest point between the hips and the lowest point of your ribcage. You can refer to your waist size as your waist circumference.
Your waist size can be used to determine the amount of abdominal and visceral fat in your body. Increased values of fat deposits around this area can significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases like heart failure, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other health concerns that affect one’s overall well-being (2).
According to researchers, an unhealthy waist-to-hip ratio is detrimental to one’s health. However, waist circumference varies among individuals. Several health organizations use different metrics to determine a healthy waist size. For instance:
- The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) considers a healthy waist size for women to be 31.5 inches or less, and for men, it is 35.5 inches or less.
- The American Heart Institute (AHI) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) recommend a healthy waist size for women as 35 inches or less, and for men, 40 inches or less.
Considering the waist circumference about height, your waist-to-height ratio should never exceed 0.5 (3). However, according to a World Health Organization report, a man’s waistline should not be more than 37 inches, irrespective of his height. For women, it should not exceed 31.5 inches (4). Anything more than this could pose significant health risks that could affect your overall health (5).
How to Measure Your Waistline
Here is a detailed step-by-step instruction on how to properly measure your waistline.
- Stand upright and identify the top of your hip bone and the bottom of your ribcage. In between this space is where you want to take your waistline measurement.
- Exhale and bring the tape around your waist, ensuring it’s neither too tight nor too loose (keep the tape straight during this measurement).
- Check the number on the tape for your waistline measurement.
The Average Waist Size for Women
A study by the National Center for Health Statistics, involving 5,065 women, found the average waist size of women to be 38.7 inches (98.4 cm) (6). Looking at this study, researchers discovered that the average woman’s waistline changed as they aged. The younger ladies usually had smaller waistlines compared to the much older women.
On average, women aged 20 to 29 had a waistline of 36.3 inches, while those aged 30 to 39 had an average waistline of 38.3 inches. Women forty to fifty-plus years recorded an average waistline of 39.3 inches. Interestingly, at the sixty to seventy-nine years, women’s waistlines increased to 40 inches, but this number dropped by 1.3 inches as these women approached their eighties.
For teenage girls, the average waistline is 30.9 inches for a thirteen-year-old. This increases subsequently as they age. When they reach their fourteenth and fifteenth years, it increases to 31.7 inches. In their later teens, from sixteen to nineteen, the waistline measurement progressively increases from 32.4 inches to 34.6 inches.
| Age | Waist Size (cm) | Waist Size (In) |
| 20-29 | 92.1 | 36.6 |
| 30-39 | 97.2 | 38.3 |
| 40-49 | 99.5 | 39.2 |
| 50-59 | 99.8 | 39.3 |
| 60-69 | 101.7 | 40.0 |
| 70-79 | 101.5 | 40.0 |
| 80+ | 98.3 | 38.7 |
The Average Waist Size for Men
In the same study conducted by the United States Anthropometric Reference Data Survey, which included 4,881 men from 2015 to 2018, the average waistline for men aged twenty and above was 40.5 inches (102.9 cm). Upon closer examination of the study, researchers found that the average waistline for men aged twenty to twenty-nine was approximately 37.1 inches.
Interestingly, this number increases significantly to 40.4 inches for men in the thirty-to-thirty-nine age range. For men in the forty to forty-nine range, their waist increased to 41 inches. Men in their fifties, sixties, and seventies had waistlines of 41.4, 42.2, and 43.3 inches, respectively. Finally, in their eighties, their waistline drops to 41.1 inches.
For young teenage boys aged thirteen to fourteen years, their waistline typically stands at 31.6 inches before increasing to 33.5 inches by the age of fifteen. Interestingly, the number decreases to 32.2 inches at sixteen years and shoots up to 33.7 inches when they hit seventeen. Again, at eighteen, the waistline drops to 33.4 inches before increasing to 35.2 inches at nineteen.
| Age | Waist Size (cm) | Waist Size (In) |
| 20-29 | 94.2 | 37.1 |
| 30-39 | 102.6 | 40.4 |
| 40-49 | 104.1 | 41.0 |
| 50-59 | 105.1 | 41.4 |
| 60-69 | 107.3 | 42.2 |
| 70-79 | 107.4 | 42.3 |
| 80+ | 104.3 | 41.1 |
Reducing Waist Size
The first thing to note is that spot reduction is generally ineffective. To reduce your waistline, consider an overall weight loss approach. Core exercises like planks and crunches can, however, help tone your abdominal muscles after the excess fat is lost.
Losing weight is a function of being in a calorie deficit, which can be achieved through a combination of exercise and calorie restriction. Dieting techniques, such as intermittent fasting, are also effective for weight loss (7). For exercises, you can try yoga (8), resistance training, CrossFit routines, HYROX training, and HIIT.
Wrapping Up
Waist size plays a crucial role in assessing overall fitness and health. An unhealthy waistline can negatively impact your well-being, making it essential to evaluate your diet and adopt exercises aimed at reducing excess fat around the waist. Keep in mind that the average waist size is not always a reliable measure of health. For accurate guidelines on healthy waist measurements, which differ by gender, refer to the article above.
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References
- Adults, N. O. E. I. E. P. O. T. I. E. a. T. O. O. I. (n.d.). Table IV-2, Classification of Overweight and obesity by BMI, waist circumference and associated Disease risk* – Clinical Guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and Treatment of overweight and obesity in Adults – NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2004/table/A242/
- Chen, Q., Li, L., Yi, J., Huang, K., Shen, R., Wu, R., & Yao, C. (2020). Waist circumference increases risk of coronary heart disease: Evidence from a Mendelian randomization study. Molecular genetics & genomic medicine, 8(4), e1186. https://doi.org/10.1002/mgg3.1186
- Ashwell, M., & Gibson, S. (2014). A proposal for a primary screening tool: `Keep your waist circumference to less than half your height’. BMC Medicine, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-014-0207-1
- Safety, N. a. F. (2011, May 16). Waist circumference and waist-hip ratio: report of a WHO expert consultation. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241501491
- Ross, R., Neeland, I. J., Yamashita, S., Shai, I., Seidell, J., Magni, P., Santos, R. D., Arsenault, B., Cuevas, A., Hu, F. B., Griffin, B. A., Zambon, A., Barter, P., Fruchart, J. C., Eckel, R. H., Matsuzawa, Y., & Després, J. P. (2020). Waist circumference as a vital sign in clinical practice: a Consensus Statement from the IAS and ICCR Working Group on Visceral Obesity. Nature reviews. Endocrinology, 16(3), 177–189. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-019-0310-7
- Fryar, C. D., Carroll, M. D., Gu, Q., Afful, J., & Ogden, C. L. (2021). Anthropometric Reference Data for Children and Adults: United States, 2015-2018. Vital & health statistics. Series 3, Analytical and epidemiological studies, (36), 1–44.
- Welton, S., Minty, R., O’Driscoll, T., Willms, H., Poirier, D., Madden, S., & Kelly, L. (2020). Intermittent fasting and weight loss: Systematic review. Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 66(2), 117–125.
- Cramer, H., Thoms, M. S., Anheyer, D., Lauche, R., & Dobos, G. (2016). Yoga in Women With Abdominal Obesityߞa Randomized Controlled Trial. Deutsches Arzteblatt international, 113(39), 645–652. https://doi.org/10.3238/arztebl.2016.0645
