Height percentile calculator
Enter age, sex and height to see how you compare with people of the same age and sex in the US, drawn next to the average.
Height percentile calculator: the tool
Your details
Ages 2 to 19 use the CDC growth charts. Ages 20 and over use measured US adults (CDC NHANES 2015 to 2018).
What a height percentile means
A percentile tells you how many people out of 100 are shorter than you. At the 75th percentile, 75 in 100 people of your age and sex are shorter and 25 are taller. The 50th percentile is the middle.
Where the numbers come from
- Ages 2 to 19: the CDC 2000 growth charts. The CDC publishes three numbers (L, M and S) for every half month of age, and the standard formula turns your height into a z-score and then a percentile. This is the same method doctors' growth chart software uses.
- Ages 20 and over: heights measured in the NHANES survey from 2015 to 2018, published by the CDC as percentiles (5th to 95th) for each age group. The calculator reads between those published points, so results under the 5th or over the 95th are shown as "under 5th" or "over 95th" rather than guessed.
Adult height percentiles at a glance
For all US adults aged 20 and over: a man at the 50th percentile is 175.4 cm (5 ft 9.1 in) and at the 90th is 184.7 cm (6 ft 0.7 in). A woman at the 50th is 161.3 cm (5 ft 3.5 in) and at the 90th is 170.2 cm (5 ft 7 in). Full tables by age are on the height comparison chart page.
Height percentile chart by age (2 to 19)
Heights at the 5th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 95th percentiles at each birthday. Read across: at the 75th percentile, 75 in 100 children of that age and sex are shorter.
Boys: height percentiles by age (cm)
| Age | 5th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 95th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 80.7 | 84.1 | 86.5 | 88.8 | 92.2 |
| 3 | 88.9 | 92.4 | 95.0 | 97.6 | 101.6 |
| 4 | 95.3 | 99.4 | 102.2 | 105.1 | 109.2 |
| 5 | 101.2 | 105.8 | 108.9 | 112.0 | 116.5 |
| 6 | 107.1 | 112.0 | 115.4 | 118.8 | 123.6 |
| 7 | 113.0 | 118.1 | 121.8 | 125.4 | 130.7 |
| 8 | 118.6 | 124.0 | 127.9 | 131.8 | 137.6 |
| 9 | 123.6 | 129.4 | 133.5 | 137.7 | 143.9 |
| 10 | 128.0 | 134.2 | 138.6 | 143.1 | 149.7 |
| 11 | 132.2 | 138.8 | 143.5 | 148.3 | 155.3 |
| 12 | 137.1 | 144.1 | 149.1 | 154.1 | 161.6 |
| 13 | 143.3 | 150.8 | 156.1 | 161.4 | 169.1 |
| 14 | 150.3 | 158.4 | 163.8 | 169.2 | 176.7 |
| 15 | 156.4 | 164.6 | 169.9 | 175.1 | 182.3 |
| 16 | 160.6 | 168.4 | 173.5 | 178.5 | 185.4 |
| 17 | 163.0 | 170.3 | 175.3 | 180.1 | 187.0 |
| 18 | 164.2 | 171.3 | 176.2 | 181.0 | 187.8 |
| 19 | 164.8 | 171.8 | 176.6 | 181.4 | 188.3 |
Girls: height percentiles by age (cm)
| Age | 5th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 95th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 79.3 | 82.6 | 85.0 | 87.3 | 90.7 |
| 3 | 87.5 | 91.3 | 93.9 | 96.6 | 100.5 |
| 4 | 93.8 | 97.8 | 100.8 | 103.7 | 108.1 |
| 5 | 100.1 | 104.5 | 107.7 | 110.9 | 115.8 |
| 6 | 106.6 | 111.3 | 114.7 | 118.3 | 123.6 |
| 7 | 112.8 | 117.8 | 121.5 | 125.3 | 131.0 |
| 8 | 118.3 | 123.7 | 127.6 | 131.6 | 137.6 |
| 9 | 123.0 | 128.8 | 132.9 | 137.2 | 143.5 |
| 10 | 127.3 | 133.5 | 138.0 | 142.6 | 149.3 |
| 11 | 132.2 | 139.1 | 144.0 | 148.9 | 156.1 |
| 12 | 138.9 | 146.2 | 151.2 | 156.1 | 163.2 |
| 13 | 145.7 | 152.5 | 157.2 | 161.8 | 168.4 |
| 14 | 149.6 | 155.9 | 160.4 | 164.8 | 171.2 |
| 15 | 151.2 | 157.5 | 161.9 | 166.2 | 172.6 |
| 16 | 151.9 | 158.2 | 162.5 | 166.9 | 173.2 |
| 17 | 152.3 | 158.5 | 162.9 | 167.3 | 173.6 |
| 18 | 152.5 | 158.8 | 163.1 | 167.5 | 173.8 |
| 19 | 152.6 | 158.9 | 163.3 | 167.6 | 173.9 |
Related tools
Questions
What percentile is 6 feet for a man?
For US men aged 20 and over, 6 ft (182.9 cm) sits at the 85th percentile in the NHANES 2015 to 2018 measurements: about 85 in 100 men are shorter.
What percentile is 5 ft 6 in for a woman?
For US women aged 20 and over, 5 ft 6 in (167.6 cm) is between the 75th (166.0 cm) and 85th (168.4 cm) percentiles, at about the 82nd.
Is the 50th percentile the same as the average?
Close but not the same. The 50th percentile (median) is the middle person; the average (mean) adds everyone up and divides. For US adult men they are 175.4 cm and 175.3 cm.
Why does my child's percentile change as they grow?
Children grow at different times, especially around puberty, so a child can move between percentiles. Doctors look at the trend over several measurements.
Does this work for other countries?
The numbers are for the US. Average heights differ between countries, so the same height can be a different percentile elsewhere.
Sources
- CDC National Center for Health Statistics: Anthropometric Reference Data for Children and Adults: United States, 2015-2018 (Vital and Health Statistics, Series 3, No. 46), Tables 9 and 11 (checked 2026-10-02)
- CDC National Center for Health Statistics: CDC 2000 growth charts, stature-for-age LMS parameters, ages 2 to 20 (statage.csv) (checked 2026-10-02)
Last checked: 5 October 2026