What is a size percentile?

The height percentile tells you what percentage of the population is shorter than you are. At the 80th percentile, for example, about 80 people out of every 100 will be shorter than you, and those people will be of your same gender and from your own country. The 50th percentile is the median, which means that half the population is taller and half is shorter.

How is a size percentile calculated?

A population's height is considered to be a normal distribution with known mean and standard deviation. Your z-score is the result of subtracting your height from the mean, then dividing by the standard deviation. The percentile corresponds to the area under the curve to the left of that z-score. This tool performs these two steps.

What are average sizes for men and women?

This varies from country to country. In the United States, the average height of an adult male is about 5 feet and 9 inches (175.7 centimeters), while that of a female is about 5 feet and 4 inches (161.5 centimeters). The global average is lower, with men averaging around 171 centimeters and women averaging around 159.5 centimeters. The Netherlands has the tallest average height, with men measuring an average of about 183.8 centimeters.

What does it mean to be in the 90th percentile for height?

This means that your height is higher than about 90 people (out of 100) and lower than about 10 people. It's a common way to say something is well above average but not extremely high. The 99th percentile roughly means the top group of 1 person (out of 100).

Can this tool be used for children?

As adult height is stable, this tool uses fixed average values. Children's height changes with age so children and adolescents should use growth charts that are broken down by age and sex. For example, for infants WHO standards are used, for 2 to 20 year olds CDC curves, and no single average value is used for adults.

Height Percentile Calculator

Reference population

Biological sex

Height distributions differ by sex, so the average and the spread are read from a male or female reference population.

Male

Female

Compare against

The population you compare against. Adults are best compared with the country where they grew up. Choose Custom to type your own mean and SD.

What to find

What do you want to find?

Pick a direction. Enter a height to get its percentile, or enter a target percentile to get the height that reaches it.

Height to percentile

Percentile to height

Your height

Results

Height percentile

Z-score

You are taller than about 71.9% of this population and shorter than about 28.1%.

Height percentile

Taller than you
Above the average: cm

Average height: cm
Standard deviation: cm

Chart, table, and steps

Show the bell curve

Plot the population's height distribution and mark where you fall on it.

Show the percentile table

List the height at each common percentile for the chosen population.

Show the calculation steps

Walk through the z-score and the percentile arithmetic for your numbers.

Height at each percentile for the chosen population
Percentile	Height	Feet / inches
1th	158.5 cm	5' 2.4"
5th	163.5 cm	5' 4.4"
10th	166.2 cm	5' 5.4"
25th	170.7 cm	5' 7.2"
50th	175.7 cm	5' 9.2"
75th	180.7 cm	5' 11.1"
90th	185.2 cm	6' 0.9"
95th	187.9 cm	6' 2"
99th	192.9 cm	6' 4"

The height percentile tells you how your height compares to other people. If your height is the 75th percentile, this means that about 75 percent of the population in the comparison group are shorter than you are (in groups of 100).

The comparison group is important. It's determined by the biological sex and demographics of the country used for comparison. To get the fairest results, pick a region where you spent your childhood and youth.

How to calculate your height percentile:

The height of adults in a given population typically follows a bell curve that resembles a normal distribution. Most people are close to the average value and as you move farther from the average, either down or up, there are fewer individuals.

The bell-shaped curve is determined by two values: the average body size value (mean) and the standard deviation which indicates the measure of dispersion. Once these values are known, your position on the curve can be calculated with a Z-score.

z = \frac{h - \mu}{\sigma}

where h is your height, mu is the average value of the population and sigma is the standard deviation. The z-value indicates how many standard deviations your height is above or below the average value. A positive value means that your height is above average, a negative value means it's below average.

The percentile is the area to the left of a z-score on a bell curve, and it's represented by the standard normal distribution function phi.

\text{percentile} = \Phi(z)\times 100

Example of a calculation:

For example, let's take a man who is 6 feet tall and compare him to the US population. The average height of an adult male in the United States is about 5'9", with a standard deviation of about 3".

z = \frac{180 - 175.7}{7.4} \approx 0.58

If the z-score is 0.58, this corresponds to approximately the 72nd percentile. So a US male with a height of 6 feet is taller than about 72 men (out of 100) and shorter than about 28 men.

Average height by country:

Average height varies greatly from country to country so the same measurement will fall on a different percentile depending on what group you compare it to. The following are the average heights for adults used in this tool with standard deviations in parentheses.

Population	Men	Women
The World	171.0 cm / 5 ft 7 in (SD 7.5)	159.5 cm / 5 ft 3 in (SD 7.0)
United States	175.7 cm / 5 ft 9 in (SD 7.4)	161.5 cm / 5 ft 4 in (SD 7.1)
United Kingdom	175.3 cm / 5 ft 9 in (SD 6.8)	161.9 cm / 5 ft 4 in (SD 6.2)
Netherlands	183.8 cm / 6 ft 0 in (SD 7.1)	170.4 cm / 5 ft 7 in (SD 6.5)

Among the countries with available records, the Netherlands has the tallest average height and this difference is real. A man who is 6 feet tall would be above average in the United States but just below average in the Netherlands. If you select "Customize" you can enter mean values and standard deviations for other countries or age groups.

Calculate height percentile

The calculation can also be done in the opposite direction. Select the mode "Calculate height from percentile" and enter the desired percentile to obtain the height that reaches this percentile for this population.

h = \mu + z\,\sigma \quad\text{where}\quad z = \Phi^{-1}\!\left(\tfrac{p}{100}\right)

For men in the US, the 5th percentile is about 64.4 inches, the median is 69.2 inches and the 95th percentile is about 73.9 inches. The percentiles table in this tool shows the full data set for the population selected.

Interpretation of results

The highlighted numbers are percentiles, i.e. the percentage of population below your height. This tool also shows the percentage of population above your height, your Z-score and how much taller or shorter you are compared to average in the selected units.

A percentile is not a grade; being at the 20th or 90th percentile simply indicates relative position within a group and both are perfectly healthy. Genetic factors, childhood nutrition, and ethnicity all affect an individual's position.

Children and adolescents

This tool models adult height, which changes little after puberty. As children's heights vary monthly, children and adolescents should use growth charts based on age and sex. For example, WHO standards are used for infants, while CDC curves are used for 2- to 20-year-olds.

For growing children special growth charts should be used rather than fixed average adult values. The principle is the same as z-scores are converted to percentiles but the mean and spread vary with age.

Symbols used

Symbol	Meaning	Example
h	Your height	180 cm
mu	The population mean height	175.7 cm
sigma	The standard deviation of height	7.4 cm
z	The z-score, in standard-deviation units	0.58
Phi	The standard normal cumulative function	Phi(0.58) = 0.72

This tool is for informational purposes only. It compares height to the average population and should not be used as a health diagnosis. If you have concerns about growth or height, please consult with your doctor.

Frequently asked questions

What is a size percentile?: The height percentile tells you what percentage of the population is shorter than you are. At the 80th percentile, for example, about 80 people out of every 100 will be shorter than you, and those people will be of your same gender and from your own country. The 50th percentile is the median, which means that half the population is taller and half is shorter.
How is a size percentile calculated?: A population's height is considered to be a normal distribution with known mean and standard deviation. Your z-score is the result of subtracting your height from the mean, then dividing by the standard deviation. The percentile corresponds to the area under the curve to the left of that z-score. This tool performs these two steps.
What are average sizes for men and women?: This varies from country to country. In the United States, the average height of an adult male is about 5 feet and 9 inches (175.7 centimeters), while that of a female is about 5 feet and 4 inches (161.5 centimeters). The global average is lower, with men averaging around 171 centimeters and women averaging around 159.5 centimeters. The Netherlands has the tallest average height, with men measuring an average of about 183.8 centimeters.
What does it mean to be in the 90th percentile for height?: This means that your height is higher than about 90 people (out of 100) and lower than about 10 people. It's a common way to say something is well above average but not extremely high. The 99th percentile roughly means the top group of 1 person (out of 100).
Do height percentiles vary by country?: Yes. Because average height varies from country to country, the same height can result in different percentiles for different populations. A man who is 6 feet tall would be above average in the United States but closer to average in the Netherlands. For the most accurate results, compare your height with population statistics of the country where you grew up.
Can this tool be used for children?: As adult height is stable, this tool uses fixed average values. Children's height changes with age so children and adolescents should use growth charts that are broken down by age and sex. For example, for infants WHO standards are used, for 2 to 20 year olds CDC curves, and no single average value is used for adults.

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Disclaimer: This calculator is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. Our calculators are under active development, and results may be inaccurate, incomplete, or unsuitable for your situation. Always verify the figures independently and seek advice from a qualified professional before relying on them. We make no warranties and accept no liability for any loss or decision arising from use of this tool.

References

NCD Risk Factor Collaboration: A century of trends in adult human height
Adult mean height by country and sex, the basis for the world and country averages.
CDC NHANES anthropometric reference data
United States adult height means and standard deviations from national survey measurements.
Wikipedia: Percentile
Definition of a percentile and its link to the cumulative distribution function.
Wikipedia: Normal distribution
The bell curve, the standard normal CDF Phi, and its inverse used for the height maths.