Length for girls at birth

At birth, the median length for girls on the WHO Child Growth Standards is 49.1 cm (19.3 in): half of girls this age measure less and half more. The middle half of girls, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, falls between 47.9 and 50.4 cm, a spread of 2.5 cm. The outer lines of the chart, the 2nd and 98th percentiles, sit at 45.4 and 52.9 cm.

By 1 month it reaches 53.7 cm.

For boys at birth the median is 49.9 cm, 0.7 cm more than for girls, which is why the charts are drawn separately by sex.

On the older CDC 2000 infant charts, which some clinics and websites still use before age 2, the median at birth is 49.3 cm. A girl exactly on the WHO median would read as about the 48th percentile there, one reason two charts can give different answers for the same length.

Reading the table: a girl at birth who measures 50.0 cm is at about the 68th percentile, meaning that out of 100 girls this age, about 68 measure less. Under 2, this is length measured lying down. If a child under 2 was measured standing, WHO adds 0.7 cm before comparing.