{"id":"neutrophil-lymphocyte-ratio","name":"Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR)","shortName":"NLR","aliases":["Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio","NLR","Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio","Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio","Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio","Neut/Lymph Ratio","N/L Ratio","Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR)","Índice neutrófilo/linfocito"],"abbreviations":["NLR","N/L"],"loinc":[],"specimen":"calculated","units":[{"ucum":"{ratio}","display":"ratio"}],"referenceRanges":[{"population":"Adults","low":0.78,"high":3.53,"unit":"{ratio}","unitDisplay":"ratio","note":"Mean 1.65, with a 95% range (mean plus or minus 1.96 standard deviations) of 0.78 to 3.53, in 413 healthy working adults aged 21 to 66 in Belgium. Two other healthy-adult groups had similar averages: 1.65 in 12,160 adults in South Korea and 1.70 in 2,212 adults in Iran. Not validated in older adults or children. Other authors describe 1 to 2 as typical and above 3 as raised, and the mean NLR in a broad US adult sample (NHANES, over 30, not limited to healthy people) was 2.3, so no single official cutoff exists. Labs rarely print a reference range for it.","sources":[{"title":"What is the normal value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio?","url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5217256/","publisher":"BMC Research Notes","year":2017},{"title":"Reference values of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte-monocyte ratio, platelet-lymphocyte ratio, and mean platelet volume in healthy adults in South Korea","url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6039688/","publisher":"Medicine (Baltimore)","year":2018},{"title":"Normal values of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio among Iranian population: Results of Tabari cohort","url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6729162/","publisher":"Caspian Journal of Internal Medicine","year":2019},{"title":"Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and mortality in the United States general population","url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7801737/","publisher":"Scientific Reports","year":2021}]}],"review":{"status":"ai-verified","label":"AI-verified against cited sources. Awaiting expert review","lastReviewed":"2026-10-03"},"summary":"A ratio worked out from two white blood cell counts. A higher value is a general sign of stress or inflammation, not a diagnosis.","url":"https://bloodtesttracker.com/markers/neutrophil-lymphocyte-ratio","notice":"Information, not medical advice. Ranges differ between labs, so the range on your own report is the one your result is judged against."}