What is normal lung capacity by age? (chart)

This rough lung capacity chart shows typical total lung capacity by age and sex. Values are averages for healthy non-smokers at sea level — individual lungs vary with height, fitness, and health history.

Adult men (~175 cm): age 20–30 ≈ 6.0 L, 30–40 ≈ 5.8 L, 40–50 ≈ 5.5 L, 50–60 ≈ 5.2 L, 60+ ≈ 4.8 L. Adult women (~165 cm): age 20–30 ≈ 4.2 L, 30–40 ≈ 4.0 L, 40–50 ≈ 3.8 L, 50–60 ≈ 3.5 L, 60+ ≈ 3.2 L.

Shorter adults and children scale lower; taller, endurance-trained adults scale higher. A breath-hold timer cannot measure these liters — only a clinical lung capacity test with spirometry can. Use our test to track your hold time trend, and see a clinician for real numbers.

Why capacity declines with age: chest-wall stiffness rises, diaphragm force falls ~10–15% per decade after 40, and alveolar elasticity slowly drops. The decline is gradual — roughly 200–300 mL per decade after 30 in healthy non-smokers — and regular cardio measurably slows it. Smokers decline 2–3x faster until they quit, then the curve flattens back toward normal within years.

How to read the chart fairly: match by height first, age second. A 165 cm man will sit closer to the women's numbers than to a 185 cm man's, and that is normal. Altitude, recent illness, and even posture shift spirometry by 5–10%. One reading means little — clinicians look for your personal trend and your FEV1/FVC ratio, not a single liter value.

What the chart does NOT predict: your breath-hold time. A 55-year-old runner with 5.0 L can easily out-hold a 25-year-old smoker with 6.0 L, because hold time rewards CO₂ tolerance and calm more than raw volume. Use the liter chart to set expectations for clinic visits, and use our timer to track trainable skill week to week.

How to improve your numbers at any age: 150 minutes of weekly brisk cardio (walking uphill, cycling, swimming), 5 minutes of daily diaphragmatic breathing, nose breathing during easy exercise, and no smoking. Strength work for posture (rows, chest openers) also helps the ribcage expand fully. Most people see home hold-time gains in 2–4 weeks; spirometry gains take 2–3 months.

When to ask a doctor about your numbers: new breathlessness on stairs you used to climb easily, wheezing, chronic cough over 8 weeks, or a drop of more than 15% from your own baseline. Bring this chart as context, but let spirometry — not a web timer — make the call.