Check your child's height and weight percentile against WHO Child Growth Standards. For children aged 0–19 years.
A growth percentile tells you how your child compares to other children of the same age and gender. For example, a child at the 60th percentile for height is taller than 60% of children their age. The 50th percentile is the median — exactly average.
Any height between the 3rd and 97th percentile is considered within the normal range for healthy children. A child below the 3rd percentile may be short for their age, but it does not automatically indicate a medical problem — genetics, nutrition, and timing of puberty all play a role.
The 15th–85th percentile range is considered typical for both height and weight. The 3rd–15th and 85th–97th ranges are slightly low or high but not necessarily problematic. Below 3rd or above 97th percentile warrants a paediatrician evaluation.
See a doctor if your child falls below the 3rd percentile for height or weight, if growth has slowed significantly compared to previous measurements, if the child drops two major percentile lines over time, or if you notice other symptoms like fatigue, poor appetite, or developmental delays.
The WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study (2006) data was collected from children in 6 countries (Brazil, Ghana, India, Norway, Oman, USA) raised in optimal conditions. Indian children raised in good nutritional environments match WHO standards closely. However, many Indian children may appear lower on WHO charts due to nutritional or socioeconomic factors rather than genetic differences.