Primespan Stats
Percentiles of resting heart rate for healthy men, women and children, measured in 35,302 people in the US national health survey (NHANES 1999-2008, Ostchega et al., 2011), plus what your number means for your heart and longevity.
Evidence-based · NHANES reference data · Men and women · Free
| Age | P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20-39 | 55 | 61 | 69 | 76 | 84 |
| 40-59 | 55 | 61 | 68 | 77 | 85 |
| 60-79 | 54 | 60 | 67 | 75 | 84 |
| 80+ | 54 | 61 | 68 | 78 | 86 |
Beats per minute (bpm). Healthy men without a condition or medication that affects the pulse, measured seated after about 4 minutes of quiet rest (n = 7,348; the 80+ group has only 197 men, so read it as a rough guide).
| Age | P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20-39 | 60 | 66 | 74 | 82 | 89 |
| 40-59 | 59 | 64 | 71 | 79 | 86 |
| 60-79 | 59 | 64 | 70 | 78 | 86 |
| 80+ | 59 | 64 | 71 | 77 | 85 |
Beats per minute (bpm). Healthy women, same method (n = 6,852; 219 women in the 80+ group). Women average about 3 bpm more than men: 74 versus 71 bpm from age 20 on.
| Age | P10 | Median | P90 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | 108 | 126 | 149 |
| 1 year | 100 | 116 | 133 |
| 2-3 years | 90 | 105 | 119 |
| 4-5 years | 79 | 94 | 110 |
| 6-8 years | 71 | 85 | 101 |
| 9-11 years | 67 | 81 | 96 |
| 12-15 years | 62 | 76 | 93 |
| 16-19 years | 58 | 73 | 90 |
Boys and girls combined, beats per minute. The pulse falls steadily through childhood and settles at adult levels in the late teens. Children's values are always judged by a pediatrician.
| Threshold | Resting rate | Healthy men | Healthy women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slow, classic definition | under 60 bpm | 15.2% | 6.9% |
| Fast, classic definition | over 100 bpm | 1.3% | 1.9% |
| Slow, revised definition | under 50 bpm | 1.6% | 0.3% |
| Fast, revised definition | over 90 bpm | 5.2% | 8.4% |
Share of healthy adults in the NHANES reference sample who fall outside each threshold. The classic range of 60 to 100 bpm is the clinical standard; the report also shows a revised range of 50 to 90 bpm, proposed on the basis of cardiology practice and survey data (Ostchega et al., 2011).
| Comparison | Risk of death from any cause |
|---|---|
| Every 10 bpm higher | 9% higher (46 studies, 1.2 million people) |
| 60 to 80 bpm vs. the lowest group | 12% higher |
| Above 80 bpm vs. the lowest group | 45% higher |
| Above 90 vs. 50 bpm or less (healthy men, adjusted for fitness) | about 3 times higher |
First three rows: meta-analysis of prospective cohorts in the general population (Zhang et al., 2016). Last row: 2,798 men followed for 16 years in the Copenhagen Male Study (Jensen et al., 2013). These are associations from observational studies, not proof that the pulse itself causes the risk.
Find your age group in the table for your sex and see where your resting pulse lands. Example: a 45-year-old woman with 64 bpm sits at the 25th percentile, so about three in four healthy women her age have a higher resting heart rate. A 30-year-old man with 84 bpm is at the 90th percentile: still within the classic normal range, but higher than 9 in 10 healthy peers.
Lower is generally better as long as you feel well. Across studies, the risk of death rises in a straight line from 45 bpm upward, with no flat stretch inside the normal range (Zhang et al., 2016).
The reference values were taken seated, after about 4 minutes of quiet rest. To compare yourself fairly, do the same: sit down, rest for a few minutes, then count your pulse at the wrist or neck for 30 seconds and double it. Measure on several days at the same time, ideally in the morning before coffee, and use the average.
Wearables estimate resting heart rate their own way. In 92,457 adults who wore a wrist tracker for up to two years, the average daily resting rate was 65 bpm, with a range from 40 to 109 bpm between people. Each person's own value was stable, yet 20% had at least one week in which it shifted by 10 bpm or more, and it ran lowest in July and highest in January (Quer et al., 2020). Compare your device with itself over time, not with a clinic reading.
In adults, surprisingly little. The average resting pulse drops from 129 bpm in babies to about 78 bpm in early adolescence, then levels off at around 72 bpm for the rest of adult life. In men it plateaus in early adulthood; in women it settles later, in middle age, which is why women aged 20 to 39 have the highest adult values (Ostchega et al., 2011). If your resting pulse climbs over the years, that is a change worth noticing rather than normal ageing.
A higher resting heart rate goes with more heart disease and earlier death. A dose-response meta-analysis of 87 studies found that every 10 bpm increase raised the risk of death from any cause by 17%, of cardiovascular disease by 15% and of heart failure by 18% (Aune et al., 2017). In the Copenhagen Male Study the link held after accounting for measured fitness, leisure activity and classic risk factors (Jensen et al., 2013).
The trend over time matters too. In 29,325 Norwegians without heart disease, people whose resting pulse rose from under 70 to over 85 bpm within about 10 years had a 1.9 times higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease than those who stayed under 70 (Nauman et al., 2011).
Regular exercise is the most reliable lever. A meta-analysis of 191 controlled studies found that every type of sport lowered resting heart rate, and endurance training and yoga did so significantly in both men and women. People who started with a higher pulse saw the biggest drops (Reimers et al., 2018). That is also why trained endurance athletes often have a resting pulse well below 60 bpm: sports cardiologists class this slow sinus rhythm as a normal training adaptation (Sharma et al., 2017). Read more in our guide to athlete resting heart rate.
A resting pulse that is regularly above 100 bpm, or a slow pulse together with dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath or chest pain, needs a medical check. The same goes for a pulse that feels irregular, or a resting rate that suddenly rises without an obvious reason such as illness, stress, alcohol or poor sleep.
What is a normal resting heart rate?
For adults, 60 to 100 bpm is the classic normal range. In healthy adults the median is about 67 to 69 bpm for men and 70 to 74 bpm for women, and the middle half of people fall between roughly 60 and 82 bpm.
What is a good resting heart rate by age?
Adult values barely change with age: the median stays between 67 and 74 bpm from age 20 to over 80. A value below the median for your age and sex, such as under 68 bpm for a man of 40 to 59, is better than average, as long as you feel well.
Is a resting heart rate of 50 too low?
Not necessarily. 50 bpm is below the classic 60 bpm cut-off, but 15.2% of healthy men and 6.9% of healthy women are under 60, and fit people often rest well below 60. It becomes a concern when it comes with dizziness, fainting, fatigue or shortness of breath.
Is a resting heart rate of 90 bad?
90 bpm is still inside the classic range but above the 90th percentile for every adult age group. In studies, a resting rate above 80 bpm went with a 45% higher risk of death than the lowest group. Measure again at rest on several days, and if it stays high, discuss it with your doctor.
Do women have a higher resting heart rate than men?
Yes. From age 20 on, healthy women average 74 bpm and men 71 bpm. The gap is largest between 20 and 39, where the median is 74 for women and 69 for men.
About this article · Written by the huuman Team. Our content is based on peer-reviewed research and clinical guidelines. We follow editorial standards grounded in scientific evidence.
This reference chart is for educational purposes and is not a medical device, a diagnosis or medical advice. If your resting heart rate is often outside the normal range or you have symptoms, talk to your doctor.
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