Average eGFR by age
This is the table most people are looking for. It comes from the National Kidney Foundation, whose eGFR page was last updated on 5 February 2026, and it states directly that "eGFR declines with age, even in people without kidney disease." These are averages in the general population, not thresholds, and not targets.
| Age | Average eGFR |
|---|---|
| 20 to 29 | 116 |
| 30 to 39 | 107 |
| 40 to 49 | 99 |
| 50 to 59 | 93 |
| 60 to 69 | 85 |
| 70 and over | 75 |
Read down that column and the shape of the problem appears. Between the 20s and the 70s the average falls by 41 points, which is most of the distance from the top of the normal range to the line where kidney disease is diagnosed.
The threshold that does not move
The KDIGO 2024 guideline stages kidney function in six bands, and none of them is age-adjusted. An eGFR under 60 sustained for more than three months is what defines chronic kidney disease, whoever you are. G1 and G2 are only classified as CKD when a marker of kidney damage, such as albuminuria, is present alongside them.
| Stage | eGFR | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| G1 | 90 and above | Normal or high. CKD only with damage markers present |
| G2 | 60 to 89 | Mildly decreased. CKD only with damage markers present |
| G3a | 45 to 59 | Mild to moderate decrease |
| G3b | 30 to 44 | Moderate to severe decrease |
| G4 | 15 to 29 | Severe decrease |
| G5 | Under 15 | Kidney failure |
Should the threshold be age-adapted? Nephrology has not settled it
This is a real argument in the field rather than a settled question being simplified for patients, and a review published in Clinical Kidney Journal on 24 October 2025 sets out both sides.
The case for age-adapting: GFR falls with healthy aging, many older adults sit under 60 without disease, and a fixed cutoff therefore risks labeling ordinary aging as illness, with the anxiety and treatment that follow. The same fixed cutoff can miss meaningful loss in younger people, whose decline has to travel much further before it trips the line.
The case against: the decline is not benign. The review reports that in older adults, 5-year mortality at an eGFR of 45 to 59 was 8.3 percent versus 6.1 percent at 60 to 89, a 36 percent relative increase. Reference populations of supposedly healthy older adults may themselves contain undiagnosed disease, and redefining CKD by age risks excluding older adults from treatments that would help them.
The authors' own conclusion is not a threshold at all. They argue for moving past fixed cutoffs toward individualised risk prediction and shared decision-making. For a reader, the practical version is that a single eGFR near 60 is a prompt for a conversation and a repeat test, not a verdict either way.
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If an old eGFR does not match a new one
Check whether your laboratory changed equations before you conclude your kidneys changed. In September 2021 a joint task force of the National Kidney Foundation and the American Society of Nephrology recommended that laboratories adopt the 2021 CKD-EPI creatinine equation, which removed the race variable and recalibrated the coefficients for age, sex and creatinine. US laboratories moved to it. A result reported before and after that switch can differ for reasons that have nothing to do with your kidney function.
The same task force recommended greater use of cystatin C alongside creatinine as a confirmatory measure of kidney function. If your eGFR sits near a threshold that matters for a treatment decision, a cystatin C-based estimate is a reasonable thing to ask about.
Our eGFR reference page lists each KDIGO stage with its source and effective date, and you can check where a specific number falls with the lab result lookup.
Frequently asked questions
What is a normal eGFR for my age?
The National Kidney Foundation publishes averages by age band: 116 in the 20s, 107 in the 30s, 99 in the 40s, 93 in the 50s, 85 in the 60s and 75 at 70 and over. These are population averages, not thresholds. The diagnostic line, an eGFR under 60 for more than three months, is the same at every age.
Is an eGFR of 60 bad at 70 years old?
It is below the average of 75 for that age band, and it sits at the bottom edge of KDIGO stage G2. G2 is not classified as chronic kidney disease unless a marker of kidney damage such as albuminuria is also present. A single result near the line warrants a repeat test rather than a conclusion.
Does eGFR go down with age?
Yes. The National Kidney Foundation states that eGFR declines with age even in people without kidney disease, and its own table shows the average falling by 41 points between the 20s and the 70s.
Why is the CKD threshold not adjusted for age?
Because the evidence cuts both ways and KDIGO has kept a single threshold. A 2025 review in Clinical Kidney Journal sets out the argument: age-adapting would avoid labeling normal aging as disease, but the decline is not risk-free, with 5-year mortality of 8.3 percent at eGFR 45 to 59 versus 6.1 percent at 60 to 89 in older adults. The debate is unresolved.
Why did my eGFR change when my creatinine did not?
One common reason is that the laboratory changed the equation. The 2021 CKD-EPI creatinine equation removed the race variable and recalibrated the others, and US laboratories adopted it following a 2021 recommendation from an NKF and ASN task force. Ask your laboratory which equation each result used.
When to talk with a clinician
If a single eGFR comes back under 60, before assuming anything either way: the diagnosis requires the level to persist beyond three months, so the next step is usually a repeat test rather than a label. Bring it up sooner if you also have albuminuria, diabetes, high blood pressure or a family history of kidney disease, since those change what a borderline number means. A clinician can also tell you whether a cystatin C-based estimate would give a clearer answer.
