What does that body temperature mean?
The famous 37 °C came from a 19th-century study with a miscalibrated thermometer. The real average is closer to 36.6 °C and falling.
Normal
37 °C — closest reference: normal at 36.6 °C.
Reference figures are measurements and are rounded; the unit conversion behind them is exact.
| Reference | Size | Yours ÷ theirs | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| severe hypothermia | 28 °C | 1.03× | 28 °C |
| hypothermia | 35 °C | 1.01× | 35 °C |
| normal | 36.6 °C | 1× | 36.6 °C |
| fever | 38 °C | 0.997× | 38 °C |
| high fever | 39.6 °C | 0.992× | 39.6 °C |
| heatstroke | 40.4 °C | 0.989× | 40.4 °C |
| highest survived | 46.2 °C | 0.971× | 46.2 °C |
Worth knowing
- Average human body temperature has fallen about 0.6 °C since the 1860s, probably because of lower rates of chronic inflammation.
- Body temperature swings about 0.5 °C over a day, lowest around 4 am and highest in the early evening.
Frequently asked
What counts as a fever?
38 °C or above measured orally is the usual clinical threshold. Rectal readings run about 0.5 °C higher and forehead scanners about 0.5 °C lower.
Is 37 °C really normal?
It is a rounded conversion of 98.6 °F, itself an average from an 1851 study. Large modern datasets put the mean at 36.6 °C, with a normal range of 36.1 to 37.2.
How to read this
Thresholds are for orientation only and are not medical advice.