Waist Circumference: Published NHANES Percentiles
FitnessNorms reproduces P5, P25, P50, P75, and P95 from Table 12 of the June 2025 NCHS anthropometric report. No percentile was estimated, interpolated, or moved into a different age group.
- Sample: 5,726 adults aged 20 and older: 2,605 males and 3,121 females. Pregnant females were excluded.
- Measurement: trained technicians measured one waist circumference at the uppermost lateral border of the iliac crest to the nearest 0.1 cm.
- Age groups: the source's 20-29 through 70-79 groups and 80-and-older group are retained exactly.
- Estimation: the report gives unweighted sample counts and survey-weighted percentiles using MEC weights and the complex sample design.
The trend chart uses age 85 as a display anchor for the published 80-and-older group. It is not a weighted mean age. Measurements at the navel, narrowest waist, or WHO midpoint use different landmarks and should not be compared directly with this table. Population percentiles are not clinical cut-offs. Full source limitations are on the reference page.