normal
Puberty
development
Typical age for the beginning of puberty
Girls
Typically, puberty begins after the age of 8 in girls. By age 8 or 9, roughly 50% of Black or African-American girls and 15% of White girls have signs of breast buds or pubic hair or both. Generally, Black or African-American girls go through the stages of puberty at a younger age than White girls and Hispanic girls.
Boys
Typically, puberty begins after the age of 9 in boys. By age 9, roughly 20% of Black or African-American boys and 4% of White boys have signs of pubic hair. Generally, Black or African-American boys go through the stages of puberty at a slightly younger age than White boys and Hispanic boys.
Common signs of puberty
Learn about puberty in girls and boys by clicking through the common signs below.
Have you noticed any
of these signs?
Watch Karen Klein, MD, pediatric endocrinologist, discuss the
signs of puberty starting in girls and boys.
How normal puberty
development is measured
Stages of puberty
The growth of breasts and pubic hair in girls measures the stages of development in puberty.
The growth of the penis and testes, as well as pubic hair, measures puberty in boys.
