Height Percentile Calculator UK What Percentile Is My Height?
Free UK height percentile calculator for children aged 0–18 and adults. Find out what percentile your height is using NHS UK-WHO growth chart standards — or check where your height sits in the UK adult height distribution.
0–18
Years (children)
LMS
NHS Method
Free
No Sign-Up
2026
Updated
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Medically Reviewed — Last Updated: July 2026Reviewed by the BMI Calculator NHS Editorial Team, aligned with NHS UK-WHO and UK90 height centile reference standards endorsed by RCPCH. For informational purposes only — consult your GP or health visitor for clinical growth assessment.
Height Percentile Calculator UK — What Is a Height Percentile?
A height percentile calculator UK is a tool that compares your height (or your child's height) to a reference population of people of the same age and sex in the United Kingdom. The result is expressed as a centile — a number between 0 and 100 that tells you what percentage of people are shorter than you at the same age.
For example, if your height is at the 70th percentile, you are taller than 70% of people your age and sex. If your height is at the 25th percentile, you are taller than 25% and shorter than 75% of your peers. Neither is better or worse — percentile position tells you where you sit in the distribution, not whether your height is healthy.
This page works as both a child height percentile calculator UK (using NHS UK-WHO and UK90 clinical standards) and an adult UK height percentile reference tool (using UK adult height distribution data). Select the appropriate mode in the calculator on the right.
💡 What percentile is my height? Enter your age, sex, and height into the calculator above to instantly find your UK height percentile. For children aged 0–18, NHS reference data is used. For adults, UK national average height data provides the percentile estimate.
For a combined height and weight centile result for children, use our Percentile Calculator UK, which calculates both measurements at once using NHS standards. For full UK-WHO growth chart tracking, use the Child Growth Chart Calculator UK.
What Is a Normal Height Percentile in the UK?
For children, the NHS considers any height centile between the 0.4th and 99.6th to be within the normal range. The nine standard centile lines printed on NHS Red Book growth charts are: 0.4th, 2nd, 9th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 91st, 98th, and 99.6th.
Centile Band
Label
Clinical Interpretation
Below 0.4th
Very Low
Medical assessment recommended by NHS
0.4th – 2nd
Low
Discuss with GP or health visitor
2nd – 9th
Below Average
Within normal range — monitor consistency
9th – 91st
Average Range
Typical height range — no concern
91st – 98th
Above Average
Within normal range — tall for age
98th – 99.6th
High
Discuss with GP — may warrant review
Above 99.6th
Very High
Medical assessment may be warranted
UK Height Distribution — What Percentile Is Average Height in the UK?
For adults asking "what percentile is my height?", the answer depends on your sex and the UK adult height distribution. Here is the UK adult height distribution by percentile based on national survey data:
UK Male Height Distribution by Percentile
Height Percentile (Men)
Height (cm)
Height (ft/in)
5th percentile
165.1 cm
5'5"
10th percentile
167.7 cm
5'6"
25th percentile
171.5 cm
5'7½"
50th percentile (average)
175.3 cm
5'9"
75th percentile
179.2 cm
5'10½"
90th percentile
182.9 cm
6'0"
95th percentile
185.4 cm
6'1"
UK Female Height Distribution by Percentile
Height Percentile (Women)
Height (cm)
Height (ft/in)
5th percentile
152.0 cm
5'0"
10th percentile
154.7 cm
5'1"
25th percentile
158.0 cm
5'2"
50th percentile (average)
161.9 cm
5'3.7"
75th percentile
165.6 cm
5'5"
90th percentile
169.0 cm
5'6.5"
95th percentile
171.5 cm
5'7.5"
These UK adult height distribution figures are based on national Health Survey for England data. They represent the percentile position of any given height among UK-born adults aged 18–65. For a specific height percentile calculation — rather than reading from the table — use the adult mode in the calculator on the right.
For children, it is more meaningful to use age-specific NHS centile data rather than adult distribution figures. Our Percentile Calculator UK covers children from birth to 18 years using NHS UK-WHO and UK90 reference standards.
NHS UK-WHO Growth Standards — How the Child Height Percentile Is Calculated
Our child height percentile calculator UK uses the Box-Cox LMS method — the same statistical technique used by the WHO and RCPCH to construct official NHS growth charts. Three age- and sex-specific parameters determine every centile value:
L (Lambda): Box-Cox power that corrects for statistical skewness in height distribution at each age
M (Mu): The median height — the 50th centile value for that specific age and sex
S (Sigma): Coefficient of variation — the spread of heights around the median
Your child's height is converted to a z-score using: z = [(height ÷ M)^L − 1] ÷ (L × S), then converted to a centile (0–100) using the standard normal cumulative distribution function. The tool uses UK-WHO reference data for ages 0–4 years and UK90 reference data for ages 4–18 years — the same data used on NHS Red Book growth charts across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Height Predictor NHS — Can This Tool Predict Adult Height?
This height percentile calculator UK does not directly predict adult height, but it provides the key input for NHS-aligned height prediction. In clinical practice, GPs use a child's current height centile alongside the mid-parental height — calculated from both parents' heights — to estimate expected adult height. The mid-parental centile gives the genetic height target, and a child whose current centile is significantly below their mid-parental centile may warrant investigation.
The height predictor NHS approach works as follows:
Plot this mid-parental height on the adult scale of an NHS growth chart to find the mid-parental centile. A child's expected adult height centile is typically within ± 2 centile bands of this value. This calculation is best done in consultation with your GP or health visitor using official RCPCH growth charts.
How to Measure Height Accurately for This Calculator
Children under 2 years: Measure lying length (supine) — lie the child flat on a firm surface and measure from crown to heel
Children aged 2 and over: Measure standing height without shoes, heels together against a flat wall, head in the Frankfort plane (looking straight ahead)
Adults: Measure in the morning if possible — you can be up to 2 cm taller in the morning than in the evening due to intervertebral disc compression during the day
Premature babies: Use corrected age (subtract weeks premature) for all centile calculations until at least 2 years corrected age
Frequently Asked Questions — Height Percentile Calculator UK
To find what percentile your height is, enter your age, sex, and height into the free height percentile calculator UK above. For children aged 0–18, the calculator uses NHS UK-WHO and UK90 clinical reference data to find your exact height centile. For adults, it uses UK national height distribution data. For example, an adult UK man who is 180 cm (5'11") is at approximately the 72nd percentile — taller than 72% of UK men.
On NHS growth charts, any height centile between the 0.4th and 99.6th is considered within the normal healthy range. Most children — around 98% — fall between the 2nd and 98th centiles. There is no single ideal percentile. What matters most is whether a child consistently follows their own centile line over time. A child who drops across two or more centile lines (e.g. from the 50th to below the 25th) warrants a GP discussion, regardless of where their centile started.
In the UK height distribution, the average adult male height is approximately 175.3 cm (5'9") — the 50th percentile. The average adult female height is approximately 161.9 cm (5'3.7"). A UK man who is 6'0" (183 cm) is at approximately the 90th percentile — taller than 90% of UK men. A UK woman who is 5'6" (168 cm) is at approximately the 82nd percentile. Use the adult mode in the UK height percentile calculator above for your exact result.
This page focuses specifically on height percentile. For a combined height and weight centile calculator UK for children, use our Percentile Calculator UK, which calculates both height and weight centiles simultaneously using NHS UK-WHO and UK90 reference data. For babies aged 0–24 months, use our Baby Weight Percentile Calculator UK.
This height predictor NHS tool calculates your child's current height centile — the first step in clinical height prediction. NHS GPs use the current height centile alongside the mid-parental height centile (calculated from both parents' heights) to estimate expected adult height. The mid-parental height for boys = (father's height + mother's height + 13 cm) ÷ 2; for girls = (father's height + mother's height − 13 cm) ÷ 2. A full height prediction should be done in consultation with your GP using RCPCH growth charts.
The NHS calculates height percentile using the Box-Cox LMS method. Three parameters — L (skewness), M (median), S (variation) — are defined for each age and sex from UK-WHO and UK90 reference populations. The formula z = [(height ÷ M)^L − 1] ÷ (L × S) gives a z-score, which is converted to a centile using the standard normal distribution. This is the same method used in NHS Red Book growth charts and NHS Digital growth reference tools.
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About This Page — BMI Calculator NHS Editorial TeamThis height percentile calculator was reviewed by the BMI Calculator NHS Editorial Team, UK health content specialists ensuring all tools align with NHS UK-WHO and UK90 growth reference standards. Last updated: July 2026. Not affiliated with NHS England, RCPCH, or WHO. For clinical growth assessment, consult your GP or health visitor.
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