What is the normal heart rate range by age?

Normal Heart Rate Ranges by Age

The normal heart rate range varies significantly by age, with newborns having the highest rates that gradually decrease throughout childhood until reaching adult values.

Normal Heart Rate Ranges

• Infants under 1 year: Mean resting heart rate of 129 beats per minute (bpm) 1
• Children age 5: Mean resting heart rate of 96 bpm 1
• Early adolescence: Mean resting heart rate of 78 bpm 1
• Adults: Mean resting heart rate plateaus at 72 bpm 1

Age-Specific Normal Ranges

Pediatric Population

• Children under 4 years:

  • Normal QRS duration is less than 90 ms 2
  • Higher heart rates are physiologically normal due to immature autonomic nervous system 1

• Children 4-16 years:

  • Normal QRS duration is less than 100 ms 2
  • Heart rate gradually decreases, reaching approximately 78 bpm by early adolescence 1

Adult Population

• Adults (over 16 years):
  • Normal QRS duration is less than 110 ms 2
  • Mean resting heart rate is approximately 72 bpm 1
  • Range of normal resting heart rate in adults is typically 40-109 bpm 3
  • Male adults tend to have slightly lower heart rates (71 bpm) compared to females (74 bpm) 1

Gender Differences

• Under age 30: Heart rate variability is lower in females than males 4
• Adults: Females have statistically higher mean resting pulse rates than males (74 bpm vs. 71 bpm) 1
• Gender differences decrease with age: Differences become less pronounced after age 30 and largely disappear after age 50 4

Clinical Considerations

• Individual variation: There is significant inter-individual variability, with normal resting heart rates differing by as much as 70 bpm between individuals 3
• Bradycardia prevalence:
  • 15.2% of adult males have clinical bradycardia (heart rate <60 bpm) 1
  • 6.9% of adult females have clinical bradycardia 1
• Tachycardia prevalence:
  • 1.3% of adult males have clinical tachycardia (heart rate ≥100 bpm) 1
  • 1.9% of adult females have clinical tachycardia 1

Seasonal Variations

• Heart rate demonstrates seasonal variation with minimum values typically observed in July and maximum values in January 3
• For most individuals, resting heart rate remains relatively stable over short periods, but approximately 20% of people experience at least one week where their heart rate fluctuates by 10 bpm or more 3

Important Considerations for Interpretation

• Age-related changes in heart rate should be considered when evaluating whether a heart rate is normal 5
• Heart rate is influenced by multiple factors including physical activity level, smoking status, and time of year 3, 6
• Heart rate variability decreases with aging, which may have implications for risk assessment, particularly in elderly patients 4