How tall is the average 2-year-old boy?

On the CDC stature-for-age chart, the median 2-year-old boy in the reference population measures 86.9 cm (2′ 10.2″). Half are shorter than that and half are taller, which is what "average" means here and is the reason a single number tells you very little on its own.

The usual range is wider than people expect. A 2-year-old boy at the 10th percentile is 82.4 cm (2′ 8.4″) and one at the 90th is 91.4 cm (3′ 0.0″) — 9.0 cm apart, and every child in between is on the chart exactly where they are supposed to be.

CDC stature-for-age percentiles, boys, age 2

Percentile	Height (cm)	Height (ft/in)	Means
3th	80.3	2′ 7.6″	taller than 3% of 2-year-old boys
5th	81.1	2′ 7.9″	taller than 5% of 2-year-old boys
10th	82.4	2′ 8.4″	taller than 10% of 2-year-old boys
25th	84.5	2′ 9.3″	taller than 25% of 2-year-old boys
50th	86.9	2′ 10.2″	taller than 50% of 2-year-old boys
75th	89.2	2′ 11.1″	taller than 75% of 2-year-old boys
90th	91.4	3′ 0.0″	taller than 90% of 2-year-old boys
95th	92.6	3′ 0.5″	taller than 95% of 2-year-old boys
97th	93.5	3′ 0.8″	taller than 97% of 2-year-old boys

Computed from the CDC 2000 stature-for-age LMS parameters (L, M, S) interpolated to 2 years 0 months. These are the same tables a pediatrician's growth chart is printed from, and the same ones the app uses.

Where a percentile is and is not useful

A percentile says where a child stands against other children the same age and sex today. It does not say what they will reach as an adult, and it is not a grade. What matters far more than the number is whether a child holds their own line over time: a boy who has tracked the 25th percentile for three years is growing normally, and one who slid from the 75th to the 25th over the same period is worth a conversation with a pediatrician even though the second number looks unremarkable here.

Parents' heights set roughly the middle of where a child is likely to land. If you want the mid-parental target for your own child, the calculator on the front page does that arithmetic in the browser and nothing is sent anywhere.

Other ages

Same table for 2-year-old girls →

Putting your own child on the chart

Height Predictor plots a child's measurements on the CDC curve above, keeps the history so the line is visible, and turns it into an adult-height range with the working shown. iPhone only for now.

Open Height Predictor in the App Store

An estimate for curiosity and general wellness, not medical advice. Talk to a pediatrician about any growth concern.