Is a 23-Inch Waist Healthy?
Generally speaking, a 23-inch waist is quite small and indicates low abdominal fat, a marker of good health. However, having a slim waist doesn’t automatically make you healthy. And it would be best if you also consideredother diet and lifestyle factors.
How Likely Are You to Have a 23-Inch Waist?
The likelihood of a 23-inch waist depends on your body shape and overall fitness. For example, a 23-inch waistline is more likely for women with a smaller frame who exercise regularly.
For males, it’s basically impossible except for young children. To illustrate, let’s look at some waist size statistics for men and women.
23-Inch Waist for Women
The average waist size for American women is 35.6 inches. That means a 23-inch waist is more than a foot smaller than usual. And your waist would be smaller than 99.9% of the female population.
However, it’s important to remember that 3 out of 4 adult women in the US are overweight or obese. So does that mean a 23-inch waist is more attainable among a fit population?
A survey of women in the US Army, who are generally more fit, shows that their average waist size is 28.2 inches. And a 23-inch waist would still put you below the 1st percentile.
In fact, out of 2,208 women measured for this survey, only three had a waist size of 23 inches or less. That means a 23-inch waist is very rare, even among active women.
