The Average Height and Weight by Age
Average heights and weights by age can determine normal development and indicate possible health conditions.
People come in all shapes and sizes, which is part of what makes individuals unique. It's primarily the result of genetics, and that can't be changed. Other times, being too skinny or overweight or not reaching a certain height as a child can be signs of health conditions or unhealthy lifestyle factors that need to be changed.
Whether you're a concerned parent or you want to know where you stand with your own body weight, looking at height and weight averages by age is a helpful place to start.
Children's Height and Weight
Pediatricians often use height and weight charts to measure a child's development progress and to track growth and weight gain throughout childhood. This gives them a clear sense of whether development is normal, and whether weight changes signify any health condition.
Girls
Girls grow at mostly the same rate as boys until the latter part of their elementary education, then they start to grow taller more quickly than boys.
2 to 8 Years
A 2-year-old girl has an average height of 34 inches and a weight of 27 pounds. By age 4, the average height is 40 inches and the average weight is 34 pounds. At age 6, the average height is 45 inches and the average weight is 46 pounds. An 8-year-old girl has an average height of 50 inches and an average weight of 58 pounds.
10 to 14 Years
At 10 years old, the average girl is 54 inches tall and weighs 72 pounds. By age 12, the average height has raised to 59 inches and the average weight is at 95 pounds. Fourteen-year-old girls are an average of 63 inches tall and 109 pounds.
16+ Years
After age 14, girls' heights begins to level off. The average height of a 16-year-old girl is 64 inches tall, while the weight is 119 pounds. From age 18 on, the height tapers off at between 64 and 65 inches while the weight increases to about 130 pounds.
Boys
The average height of young boys is relatively similar to that of young girls. While girls shoot out ahead after elementary school, boys quickly catch up.
2 to 8 Years
Two-year-old boys are on average 34 inches tall and weigh 28 pounds. At age 4, they are 40 inches tall and weigh 36 pounds. By age 6, boys are an average of 45 inches tall and weigh 46 pounds. 8-year old boys have an average height of 50 inches and weigh 56 pounds.
10 to 14 Years
At 10 years old, boys are 55 inches tall and weigh 68 pounds, on average. By age 12, those figures raise to 58.5 inches and 90 pounds. At age 14, boys are on average 64 inches tall and weigh 112 pounds.
16+ Years
From age 16 and beyond, boys continue to grow more rapidly than girls. A 16-year-old boy is on average 68 inches tall and weighs 134 pounds. From ages 18 to 20, boys are on average between 69 and 70 inches tall and weigh between 148 and 155 pounds.
Read more: Is There an Ideal Weight for a Six Foot Male?
Adult Average Body Weight
By the time you're an adult, your bones have stopped growing, but your bodyweight isn't static. Healthy body weight is typically assessed by a height to weight ratio. Age, gender, physical fitness and health conditions can all play a role in body weight.
Women
Women are often shorter and weigh less than men. Average weight change isn't drastic, but it does increase up to middle age and then decrease toward old age.
20 to 40 years
The average woman's weight rises from 130 pounds at age 20 to 140 pounds at age 30. At age 40 the average woman weighs close to 150 pounds.
40 to 60 years
A woman's weight is at its peak between ages 55 and 60, with the average woman weighing 155 pounds.
60+ Years
The average woman's weight starts to decrease after age 60. At age 70, average weight is 150 pounds, and at age 80, average weight is 140 pounds.
Men
Men experience the same curve as women.
20 to 40 years
By age 30 the average man weighs 172 pounds. Average weight increases to 180 pounds by age 40.
40 to 60 years
Men typically reach their heaviest weight at 50, topping out at 182 pounds. After that, weight begins to decrease, although minimally. The average weight for a 60-year-old man is 180 pounds.
60+ Years
After age 65, weight begins to decrease more significantly. By age 80, men weigh an average of 170 pounds.
Read more: The Ideal Weight Range for Women