BMI is a measurement of a person's leanness or corpulence based on their height and weight, and is intended to quantify tissue mass.

It is widely used as a general indicator of whether a person has a healthy body weight for their height.

Being overweight or underweight can have significant health effects. So, BMI is a useful indicator of whether any additional testing or action is required.

Refer to the table below to see the different categories,

Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is one of several measurements your doctor can use to see if you’re overweight, and if that excess weight is putting your health at risk.

Unlike your body mass index (BMI), which calculates the ratio of your weight to your height, WHR measures the ratio of your waist circumference to your hip circumference.

It determines how much fat is stored on your waist, hips, and buttocks.

Not all excess weight is the same when it comes to your health risks.

People who carry more weight around their midsection (an apple-shaped body) are at higher risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and premature death than those who carry more of their weight in their hips and thighs (a pear-shaped body).

Even if your BMI is within a normal range, your risk for disease may be increased.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a healthy WHR is:

0.9 or less in men
0.85 or less for women