DEFINITION of 'Current Ratio'. The current ratio is a liquidity ratio that measures a company's ability to pay short-term and long-term obligations. To gauge this ability, the current ratio considers the total assets of a company (both liquid and illiquid) relative to that company’s total liabilities. The formula for calculating a company’s current ratio, then, is: Current Ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities. The current ratio is called “current” because, unlike some other liquidity ratios, it incorporates all current assets and liabilities. The current ratio is also known as the working capital ratio.