Chinese National Growth References
Weight-for-Age (0-18)
z = (W − μ) / σ
Chinese-reference weight percentile, 0-18 years.
Calculate Percentile →Length-for-Age (0-3)
z = (L − μ) / σ
Chinese-reference supine length percentile, 0-3 years.
Calculate Percentile →Stature-for-Age (3-18)
z = (H − μ) / σ
Chinese-reference standing stature, 3-18 years.
Calculate Percentile →Head Circ-for-Age (0-6)
z = (HC − μ) / σ
Chinese-reference head circumference, 0-6 years.
Calculate Percentile →Weight-for-Length
z(W | L)
Chinese-reference size-adjusted weight, supine.
Calculate Percentile →Weight-for-Stature
z(W | H)
Chinese-reference size-adjusted weight, standing.
Calculate Percentile →The Chinese National growth references reflect growth patterns observed in Chinese populations and are used by Chinese pediatric authorities for routine clinical screening. They are the recommended reference for Chinese children in mainland China.
Each calculator returns a Chinese-reference percentile and z-score plus a visualization on the Chinese curves. Useful for Chinese-population clinical work, comparing Chinese children to a population-specific reference, or comparing growth across reference sources.
When to use these calculators
Use the Chinese National references for clinical work in Chinese populations or when comparing a Chinese child's growth against a population-specific reference rather than the WHO/CDC international/U.S. references.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Are Chinese reference values different from WHO?
- Yes — Chinese reference values for some anthropometric measures differ from WHO standards due to genetic and environmental factors. The Chinese references are tuned to Chinese populations.
- Which source publishes the Chinese references?
- The Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Chinese pediatric authorities publish and maintain the references.
- Can I use Chinese references for non-Chinese children?
- The references are tuned to Chinese populations; applying them to non-Chinese children can produce systematically biased percentile placements. Use the population-appropriate reference (WHO for international general, CDC for U.S., regional references where available).