The waist hip ratio, an indicator of upper body fat distribution, is an early sign of atherogenic disease and diabetes risk. The distribution of the waist hip ratio in 18,393 members of the French population aged 17 to 60 years is described according to sex and five year age groups. Men had a higher mean waist hip ratio (0.913 vs 0.791, p < 0.001) and women a higher standard deviation (0.074 vs 0.067, p < 0.001). The distributions overlapped by only 33%. Sex-specific figures show the waist hip dispersion according to age. If this parameter is a reliable clinical indicator in cardiovascular and metabolic epidemiology these descriptive data are essential. They precede the study of possible associations between the waist hip ratio and the risk factors for insulin resistance, atherogenic diseases and diabetes.