Is a 28 Inch Waist Healthy for a Woman? (2024)

What is a 28 Inch Waist?

A 28-inch waist is a circumference measurement around the abdomen. And you can use this number for everything from buying clothing to assessing your risk for health problems like heart disease and diabetes.

But it’s critical to measure your waist correctly to know if it really is 28 inches around.

How to Measure Your Waist

To check your waist size, you will need a flexible tape measure. First, wrap the tape measure around your waist parallel to the floor just above your hip bone.

Now pull the tape snug but not so tight that it indents into your skin. Also, take the reading at the end of a normal exhale but do not suck in your stomach. The number where the end of the tape intersects is your waist size.

Is a 28-Inch Waist Healthy?

Generally speaking, a 28-inch waist is on the small side and indicates low abdominal fat, a marker of good health. However, having a slim waist doesn’t automatically make you healthy. And you must also consider other diet and lifestyle factors.

How Likely Are You to Have a 28-Inch Waist?

The likelihood of a 28-inch waist depends on your gender and overall fitness. For example, a 28-inch waistline is normal for physically fit women. In contrast, even the thinnest men are unlikely to have that small of a waist.

To elaborate, let’s look at some waist size statistics for men and women.

28-Inch Waist for Women

The average waist size for American women is 35.6 inches. That means a 28-inch waist would put you between the 5th and 10^th percentiles, which is considerably smaller than average.

However, it’s important to remember that 3 out of 4 adult women in the US are overweight or obese. So you might not want to compare yourself to the general population.

A survey of women in the US Army, who are generally more fit, shows that their average waist size is 28.2 inches. Therefore, a 28″ waist is perfectly normal among active women.

28 Inch Waist FAQ

Now you know how big a 28-inch waist is for men and women. But you might have more questions about this topic. So here are some quick answers to common queries.

What size is a 28 inch waist?

A 28-inch waist typically corresponds to a US dress size of 8, which is about a 38 in Euro sizes. Additionally, this waist circumference should put you in an international size Small for women’s clothing.

At the same time, men with this waist size would likely fall into the Small to Extra-Small size range for clothing.

What pants size is a 28 inch waist?

A waist size of 28 inches generally corresponds to a pant size of 27-29 for women and 26-27 for men (which would be hard to find). So your jeans size doesn’t always reflect your actual waist size.

One reason for this is how you wear your pants. For example, women’s pants tend to sit higher on the waist, close to the measurement site. In contrast, men wear their pants lower on their hips, where their waists might be smaller.

In addition, your actual waist size may not reflect your pant size due to your body proportions. For instance, you may need to size up if you have thicker thighs or a bigger butt.

Is a 28 inch waist good for a woman?

For women, a 28-inch waist is roughly 8″ smaller than the average female. So this would definitely be a good target if you’re trying to improve your overall health and wellness.

At the same time, a waist size of 28 inches is average among women who exercise regularly. So if your goal is to be in elite shape, you may need to aim slightly smaller.

In addition, your ideal waist size depends on your body type and height. For instance, a 28″ waist would be good for a taller woman but not as good for a shorter one.

Is a 28 inch waist good for a man?

For men, a 28-inch waist is about 10 inches smaller than the average male’s. Even among active guys, a 28” waist is extremely rare. Therefore, it’s not a reasonable target for most men.

Again, whether this waist size is good for you depends on your age, overall size, and body type. To illustrate, a naturally thin adolescent male could likely have a 28-inch waist. But it is unrealistic for a larger, older man.