Use this tool to understand growth percentiles for height, weight, and BMI by age and sex. It’s designed for parents and caregivers: clear output, practical interpretation, and safety notes.
Safety note
Percentiles are screening information, not a diagnosis. If there are red flags (poor weight gain, sudden drop across percentiles, persistent feeding issues, lethargy, dehydration, breathing difficulty), consult a clinician.
Percentiles with clarity
Designed to show percentiles and a simple interpretation without heavy medical jargon.
Optional downloadable report
Download a short report (where available) to keep for reference or share with caregivers.
Fast, mobile-first
Short form inputs and clean output—built for real use on a phone.
A percentile compares your child’s measurement to a reference population for the same age and sex. One measurement alone is not the full story—tracking over time is often more meaningful.
Height/length percentile
Helps you see where stature sits relative to peers of the same age and sex.
Weight percentile
Useful for routine follow-up; sudden drops need clinical context and review.
BMI (where applicable)
A supportive metric that needs interpretation alongside diet, activity, and clinical history.
Tip for accurate results
Measure weight with minimal clothing, and measure length/height carefully (for infants use recumbent length; for older children use standing height). Inconsistent measurement method can change percentile outputs.
The IAP (Indian Academy of Pediatrics) growth charts are reference standards built from Indian children's data — they reflect the actual height and weight patterns of healthy Indian boys and girls. They were updated in 2015 and replaced older charts that were based on Western populations. For an Indian child, percentiles from IAP charts are more clinically relevant than WHO global charts because they account for Indian genetic, dietary, and environmental factors.
Enter your child's age (months or years), sex (boy or girl), height in cm, and weight in kg. The calculator looks up the IAP reference values for that age and sex, then computes where your child sits — 50th percentile means right at the median, 90th percentile means taller/heavier than 90% of peers. BMI is calculated and plotted on the IAP BMI chart for children 5+ years.
Yes — the underlying data is the same. The IAP publishes printable growth charts (boys / girls / 0-5 years / 5-18 years) as PDFs that paediatricians use in clinics. This calculator digitises that same lookup: instead of plotting your child manually on a printed chart, the calculator does the percentile calculation instantly and gives you a downloadable PDF report with the result.
WHO growth standards are global; IAP charts are India-specific. For children under 5, the IAP and WHO charts are similar because both were built from data that meets WHO's growth-standard criteria. For children 5-18, the IAP charts diverge — they reflect the slightly different growth trajectory of Indian children, including a typically lower body mass index range. Most Indian paediatricians use IAP charts for 5-18 and WHO for 0-5.
Generally, anything from the 3rd to 97th percentile is considered within normal range — that's a wide band, and being on the lower or higher end doesn't automatically mean a problem. What matters more is consistency: a child who has tracked at the 25th percentile their whole life is healthy; a child who suddenly drops from the 50th to the 10th percentile in a year needs evaluation. Always discuss specific numbers with your paediatrician.
Yes. The calculator uses sex-specific IAP charts — height-for-age and weight-for-age curves are different for boys and girls because growth patterns and pubertal timing differ. Make sure to select the correct sex when entering details.
There's no single 'normal' — it depends on age and sex. Use this calculator to see where your child sits relative to the IAP reference for their age and sex. The IAP defines normal as 3rd–97th percentile for height and weight, with optimal being closer to the 50th. Underweight is typically below the 3rd percentile for weight-for-height; overweight is above the 85th percentile BMI for children 5+.
Yes. The IAP infant growth charts cover 0-2 years and use a slightly different format (z-scores) than the older-age percentiles. Enter age in months for the most accurate reading. For newborns under 2 weeks, percentile interpretation is less stable because of normal post-birth weight loss followed by regain.
Yes — the IAP 5-18 charts are built into the calculator. This is the age range where the IAP charts differ most from WHO standards (lower BMI cutoffs for Indian adolescents), so using the Indian-specific chart matters more for teens than for younger children.
Yes. After entering your child's details, the calculator generates a downloadable PDF report with the percentile result, the IAP reference curve, and a brief interpretation. You can take this to your paediatrician or save it for your records. The PDF includes today's date so you can track changes over time.
Not always. Some children are naturally smaller or taller, and many healthy Indian children sit below the 50th percentile because IAP charts include the full Indian population. What matters more is the trend over time, overall health, diet, development milestones, and family history. A consistent low-but-stable percentile is usually fine; a sudden drop is worth discussing with a paediatrician.
A sustained drop (crossing two or more percentile lines downward) can be a red flag for failure to thrive, chronic illness, hormonal issues, or nutritional problems. Re-check the measurements (sometimes the previous reading was wrong), review the diet and any recent illness, and book a paediatric review. Bring the PDF report — paediatricians find it useful to see the actual trend, not just the latest number.
No. The calculator works without an account. If you want to save your child's growth history in a dashboard, you can create a free account — but the basic percentile calculation and PDF download work anonymously.
This tool is designed to be privacy-first. The calculation runs in your browser; if you don't create an account, no measurements are stored on our servers. The PDF report is generated locally and downloaded directly to your device.
Start the Growth Calculator
Enter age, sex, height/length, and weight to see percentiles and interpretation.
Boys and girls follow different WHO reference curves. Open the calculator pre-set for your child.
Privacy and responsible use
This tool is intended for informational screening and tracking. If you have concerns about growth, feeding, recurrent illness, or development, consult a clinician for personalized assessment.
