You will get WHO height and weight percentiles — for example: “taller than 60% of peers”.
A percentile shows where your child sits relative to peers of the same age and sex, using World Health Organization data. A 60th height percentile means: about 60% of children are shorter, 40% taller. This is a visualisation of official WHO standards, not a diagnosis — what matters is the trend along your child’s own curve, not a single point, and a paediatrician handles any questions about development.
What percentiles mean
- 50th percentile — the median: half of children are below, half above. It’s the middle, not a target.
- 3rd–97th percentile — the range considered normal. The vast majority of healthy children fall inside it.
- A value at the edge or outside the range is not a verdict — just a reason to calmly see a doctor, especially if the curve changes direction sharply.
- More important than the absolute number is a steady channel: a child usually grows along their own percentile.
Height and weight by age chart (WHO median)
Median (50th percentile) height and weight by WHO standards. WHO provides weight-for-age up to 10 years — beyond that, BMI is used instead.
| Age | Height ♂, cm | Height ♀, cm | Weight ♂, kg | Weight ♀, kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | 49.9 | 49.1 | 3.3 | 3.2 |
| 1 year | 75.7 | 74.0 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| 2 years | 87.8 | 86.4 | 12.1 | 11.5 |
| 3 years | 96.1 | 95.0 | 14.3 | 13.8 |
| 4 years | 103.3 | 102.7 | 16.3 | 16.1 |
| 5 years | 110.0 | 109.4 | 18.3 | 18.2 |
| 6 years | 116.0 | 115.1 | 20.5 | 20.2 |
| 7 years | 121.7 | 120.8 | 22.9 | 22.4 |
| 8 years | 127.3 | 126.6 | 25.4 | 25.0 |
| 9 years | 132.6 | 132.5 | 28.1 | 28.2 |
| 10 years | 137.8 | 138.6 | 31.2 | 31.9 |
| 11 years | 143.1 | 145.0 | — | — |
| 12 years | 149.1 | 151.2 | — | — |
| 13 years | 156.0 | 156.4 | — | — |
| 14 years | 163.2 | 159.8 | — | — |
| 15 years | 169.0 | 161.7 | — | — |
Growth percentile FAQ
My child is in the 10th percentile — is that bad?
Not in itself. The 10th percentile is within the normal range (3–97). Children come petite and large — both are normal. What’s worth watching isn’t a low or high percentile but a sudden jump across channels — that’s worth discussing with a paediatrician.
Why is weight only shown up to 10 years?
WHO deliberately doesn’t publish weight-for-age past 10 years: in adolescence, weight depends heavily on height and puberty stage, so it’s more meaningful to assess body mass index (BMI) than weight alone.
How often should I measure?
Routine measurements usually line up with paediatric visits: more often in the first year, then less. At home, every few months is enough — what matters is the same measuring method each time so the trend is comparable.
Where does the data come from?
From WHO standards: the Child Growth Standards (0–5 years) and the Growth Reference 2007 (5–19 years). These are the international references paediatricians use in many countries.