Home·Body Metrics

Annual Growth Rate

Any interval can be rescaled to a yearly rate for comparison. Between age 3 and puberty, 5–6 cm a year is typical.

Your numbers

Result

8cm

Difference

8cm

What it means

Growing at 8 cm a year.

Formula

Result = (After − Before) ÷ Months × 12

Sustained growth under 4 cm a year is worth a specialist review; during puberty the rate rises to 7–9 cm.

What to enter

InputDefaultAccepted range
Before (cm)The starting value — it goes in the denominator.1201 ~ 250
After (cm)The value you ended up with.1281 ~ 250
MonthsThe period counted in months; a yearly rate gets divided by twelve.121 ~ 120

Step by step

FormulaResult = (After − Before) ÷ Months × 12
With the default numbersResult = (128 − 120) ÷ 12 × 12
AnswerResult = 8 cm

Quick reference table

Results when only Before (cm) changes and everything else stays put.

Before (cm)Result (cm)Difference (cm)
606868
903838
12088
180-52-52
240-112-112

What each result means

ResultAt default values
Result (cm)What the formula gives back — the answer this page is for.8
Difference (cm)The gap between two values — a quantity, not a rate.8

Common mistakes

Sustained growth under 4 cm a year is worth a specialist review; during puberty the rate rises to 7–9 cm.

Glossary

Before
The starting value — it goes in the denominator.
After
The value you ended up with.
Months
The period counted in months; a yearly rate gets divided by twelve.
Result
What the formula gives back — the answer this page is for.
Difference
The gap between two values — a quantity, not a rate.

Frequently asked questions

Q. How is Annual Growth Rate calculated?

Result = (After − Before) ÷ Months × 12 — Any interval can be rescaled to a yearly rate for comparison. Between age 3 and puberty, 5–6 cm a year is typical.

Q. Can you walk through an example?

With Before 120cm, After 128cm, Months 12, the answer is Result 8cm.

Q. What do I need to enter?

Enter Before, After, Months. The result recalculates as you type, and an empty box counts as zero.

Q. How much does the answer move if I change a number?

Changing only Before (cm) moves the answer to Before (cm) 60 → Result (cm) 68 and Before (cm) 240 → Result (cm) -112. The table below lays out five steps.

Q. How are the numbers rounded?

Money is shown to the nearest whole unit, percentages to one decimal place and everything else to two. What you see is rounded; the calculation itself carries the unrounded value forward.

Q. Anything to watch out for?

Sustained growth under 4 cm a year is worth a specialist review; during puberty the rate rises to 7–9 cm.

Related calculators

These calculators help you understand health figures; they do not replace diagnosis or prescription. See a clinician if you have symptoms.