GFR Levels Chart & CKD Stage Checker

GFR levels explained

GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is the volume of blood plasma your kidneys filter each minute, adjusted to a standard body surface area of 1.73 m². It is the best overall measure of how well the kidneys are working. Because measuring GFR directly is time-consuming, almost every lab report shows an estimated GFR (eGFR), calculated from a blood creatinine result, your age and your sex using the CKD-EPI 2021 equation. When people search for "GFR levels", they usually want to know what their eGFR number means and which stage it falls into.

In short:

• An eGFR of 90 or above is normal or high (category G1).
• 60–89 is mildly decreased (G2). Many healthy older adults are here.
• 45–59 is mildly to moderately decreased (G3a).
• 30–44 is moderately to severely decreased (G3b).
• 15–29 is severely decreased (G4).
• Below 15 is kidney failure (G5).

A single number does not diagnose chronic kidney disease (CKD). By definition, CKD requires an eGFR below 60, or markers of kidney damage such as albumin in the urine, for more than three months. The tool above shows your GFR category, and if you add a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), your albuminuria category and the combined KDIGO risk colour. If you only have a creatinine result, use the "From creatinine" tab, or the full eGFR calculator.

GFR levels chart (CKD stages)

These categories come from the KDIGO 2024 clinical practice guideline for the evaluation and management of CKD, which updated the 2012 framework without changing the GFR cut-offs. "CKD stage 3" in older references is the same as G3a plus G3b combined.

Albuminuria categories

GFR is only half the story. The kidneys normally let very little albumin – a blood protein – leak into the urine. Albumin in the urine is an early sign of damage to the filters, and it predicts future problems independently of GFR. It is measured with a spot urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR).

If your result is in mg/mmol (UK, Europe, Australia), multiply by about 8.84 to get mg/g, or use the UACR converter.

The KDIGO heat map: GFR and albuminuria together

KDIGO combines the G and A categories into a colour-coded risk grid. Green is low risk, yellow moderately increased, orange high and red very high – for kidney failure, cardiovascular events and death. A person with an eGFR of 65 and heavy albuminuria can be at higher risk than someone with an eGFR of 50 and no albuminuria.

How to read it: find your G category on the left and your A category across the top. The colour where they meet is your relative risk group. This is how clinicians decide how often to monitor kidney function – from once a year in the green cells to several times a year in the red ones.

What GFR level is normal for my age?

GFR naturally declines with age, by roughly 1 mL/min/1.73 m² per year after early adulthood in many people. That is why the National Kidney Foundation publishes average eGFR values by age. An eGFR of 85 is entirely typical at 65; an eGFR of 85 at 25 is lower than average but still in the normal-or-mildly-decreased zone.

KDIGO has deliberately kept the same thresholds for all adult ages: an eGFR below 60 for more than three months is CKD at any age. Some experts argue for age-adapted thresholds because an eGFR of 50–59 without albuminuria in an 80-year-old carries relatively low risk. You may see that debate reflected in how your clinician talks about a borderline result. For a deeper discussion of the normal range, see the "eGFR normal range by age" section of the eGFR calculator.

How your GFR level is calculated

Most labs now report eGFR with the CKD-EPI 2021 creatinine equation, published by Inker and colleagues and recommended in the US by the National Kidney Foundation and the American Society of Nephrology. It uses four inputs: serum creatinine, age, sex and a set of constants that make the curve bend at a sex-specific creatinine level:

eGFR = 142 × min(Scr/κ, 1)^α × max(Scr/κ, 1)^−1.200 × 0.9938^age × 1.012 [if female]

where κ is 0.7 for women and 0.9 for men, and α is −0.241 for women and −0.302 for men. You do not need to do this by hand – the "From creatinine" tab above and the eGFR calculator do it for you – but the formula explains several things people notice:

• Age is in the equation. Two people with the same creatinine get different eGFRs if their ages differ: the older person's eGFR is lower.
• Sex is in the equation, because on average women have less muscle mass and therefore lower creatinine for the same kidney function.
• Small creatinine changes matter more at low levels. A rise from 0.7 to 0.9 mg/dL moves eGFR more than a rise from 3.0 to 3.2.
• Results above 60 are less precise. Many labs report "> 60" or "> 90" rather than an exact number, because the estimate's error grows at higher GFRs.

Older equations – the MDRD study equation and the 2009 CKD-EPI equation – are still found on some reports and in older studies. They give somewhat different values, especially above 60. If your eGFR seems to have jumped between reports without a change in creatinine, a change of equation is a common explanation.

Units

eGFR is reported in mL/min/1.73 m². Creatinine is reported in mg/dL in the US and µmol/L in most other countries (1 mg/dL = 88.4 µmol/L). If you need to convert, use the creatinine converter.

GFR levels in special situations

Pregnancy

GFR rises by roughly 40–50% in normal pregnancy, so creatinine falls. A creatinine that would be normal outside pregnancy can be relatively high during it. eGFR equations are not validated in pregnancy and are generally not used; clinicians interpret creatinine directly.

Children

Adult eGFR equations do not apply to children. Paediatric labs use equations such as the bedside Schwartz equation, which uses height. Use the values your child's care team provides.

Very muscular or very frail people

As described above, creatinine depends on muscle. A body-builder may be labelled G2 or G3a with perfectly healthy kidneys, and a frail older person may have an eGFR in the 80s despite reduced function. Cystatin C helps in both situations.

Drug dosing

Some medicine labels give doses by creatinine clearance (Cockcroft-Gault) rather than eGFR, because that is what was used when the drugs were studied. The two numbers are not interchangeable. See the creatinine clearance calculator for that formula.

What changes a GFR level?

eGFR is calculated from creatinine, and creatinine comes mostly from muscle. Anything that changes creatinine without changing kidney function will move eGFR:

When creatinine-based eGFR is likely to be misleading, KDIGO recommends using cystatin C, either alone or combined with creatinine (eGFRcr-cys), which is less affected by muscle mass. The 2021 CKD-EPI equations no longer include a race coefficient.

Acute changes are different

The G categories describe chronic kidney function. A sudden rise in creatinine over hours or days – for example during a severe infection, dehydration or after certain medicines – is called acute kidney injury (AKI), and eGFR equations are not accurate during that unstable period. See high creatinine for the KDIGO AKI criteria.

What each GFR level means in practice

G1 and G2: 60 or above

Most people in these categories have healthy kidneys, particularly if their urine albumin is normal and they have no blood in the urine and no structural kidney problems. CKD is only diagnosed here if there is another marker of kidney damage – albuminuria, an abnormal urine sediment, a structural abnormality on imaging, or a history of kidney transplant. If you have diabetes, high blood pressure or a family history of kidney disease, a yearly UACR as well as eGFR is commonly recommended.

G3a: 45–59

This is the commonest CKD category, especially in older adults. Many people in G3a without albuminuria never progress to kidney failure. Typical steps are confirming that the result is persistent, checking UACR, reviewing blood pressure and medicines, and repeating tests periodically. Some medicines are dosed according to kidney function, so it is worth making sure every prescriber knows your eGFR.

G3b: 30–44

Kidney function is moderately to severely reduced. Monitoring becomes more frequent, and complications such as anaemia, changes in potassium, bicarbonate, calcium and phosphate, and bone health are checked. Referral to a kidney specialist is common, particularly if eGFR is falling quickly or there is significant albuminuria.

G4: 15–29

Severely reduced function. Specialist care is usual, and planning for possible future kidney replacement therapy may begin, including discussion of options and preferences.

G5: below 15

Kidney failure. Some people need dialysis or a transplant; others choose conservative care. Decisions depend on symptoms, other health conditions and personal priorities, not on the number alone.

How fast is too fast?

The direction of travel matters as much as the level. KDIGO describes a sustained decline in eGFR of more than 5 mL/min/1.73 m² per year as rapid progression. A change of up to about 10–15% between two tests can be normal biological and laboratory variation, so trends are best judged over several results. An eGFR that moves from 72 to 64 in a single repeat may simply be noise; one that falls 8 points a year for three years is a pattern.

Protecting kidney function

Kidney health is closely linked to blood pressure, blood glucose and heart health. General measures often discussed include keeping blood pressure in the target range set with your clinician, managing diabetes, not smoking, staying active, and avoiding regular use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers when kidney function is reduced unless advised. Specific treatments depend on your situation and are decided with your care team.

When to see a doctor

• Your eGFR is below 60 for the first time – ask about a repeat test and a urine albumin test.
• Your eGFR has fallen by 25% or more, or keeps falling.
• You have blood or froth in the urine, swelling of the ankles or face, or high blood pressure.
• You feel unwell with very low urine output, vomiting, confusion or breathlessness – seek urgent care.