WHOWachstumsstandards

WHOWachstumsstandards, in English known as the WHO Growth Standards, are internationally used charts and reference data for assessing child and adolescent growth. They provide a standardized framework to determine whether a child’s growth is within the expected range under healthy conditions.

The growth standards are organized into two main components: the WHO Child Growth Standards for children from birth to five years, and the WHO Growth References for individuals aged five to nineteen years. They cover measurements such as length/height-for-age, weight-for-age, weight-for-length/height, body mass index-for-age, and head circumference-for-age (the latter used primarily in infancy). Growth is summarized using z-scores, which show how far a child’s measurement deviates from the reference distribution.

Development of the standards relied on data from healthy, predominantly breastfed children in multiple countries, raised in environments associated with optimal growth. The aim was to describe how children should grow rather than how they currently grow in any particular population. The resulting charts are intended to be applicable across diverse populations, with adaptations for local clinical practice as needed.

Uses and impact: WHOWachstumsstandards are employed in clinical care, nutrition programs, and public health surveillance to identify under- or over-nutrition, growth faltering, stunting, wasting, and obesity risk. They are widely available through charts and online calculators and are utilized by health authorities worldwide. While broadly applied, clinicians consider individual health context and may exercise judgment in cases involving illness, chronic conditions, or atypical growth patterns.