WHO Growth z-Score (0-5 yr)
Gives WHO 2006 growth z-scores.
Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.
Example
- Sex
- Female
- Measurement
- Weight-for-length/height (kg and cm)
- Age
- 12
- Measured value
- 7
- Length or height
- 74
- Length measured lying or standing
- Lying
- Edema of both feet
- No
Result: 7 kg at 74 cm, weight-for-length at age 12 mo: z -2.87 (0.2th percentile) — low (z below −2) — wasted.
The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.
What the result means
- Transform
- the measured weight or length is converted to a z-score by the WHO LMS transform z = ((X/M)^L − 1) / (L·S) (length-for-age uses L = 1).
- Bands
- z below −2 is low (underweight, or stunted for length-for-age); z below −3 severely low; z above +2 high.
- Position and edema
- a standing height under 2 years gains 0.7 cm and a lying length from 2 years loses 0.7 cm; with edema of both feet no weight-based z-score is given.
What you enter
- Sex
- Measurement (wfl = weight-for-length/height, hc = head circumference)
- Age (months, 0–24; to 60 for wfl)
- Measured value (kg or cm; the weight for wfl)
- Length or height (cm, wfl only)
- Length measured lying or standing (length and wfl)
- Edema of both feet (weight and wfl)
How this is calculated
- Range
- weight-, length- and head circumference-for-age cover 0 to 24 months; weight-for-length under 2 years (45–110 cm); weight-for-height 2 to 5 years (65.0–109.3 cm).
Citation
WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study Group. WHO Child Growth Standards based on length/height, weight and age. Acta Paediatr Suppl. 2006;450:76-85. Read the source ↗
A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.