Female bladder capacity by age

When you gotta go, it can feel like you're peeing buckets when you finally do. 

But is that really true – how much urine can the human bladder actually hold?

The human bladder can hold a fair amount of liquid: About 2.3 cups for the average woman and up to 2.9 cups for the average man, according to Germany's Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.

That's about 17 ounces (500 milliliters) for women and 23 ounces (700 ml) for men. 

But while the bladder can hold that amount of fluid,  it's rare to actually need to pee that volume.

Average volume of urine per urination

The urge to urinate starts when the bladder fills to about 0.8 cups to 1.5 cups (200 to 350 ml), according to the same source. In total, the kidneys produce an average of 7.2 cups (1.7 liters) of urine each day in an average adult. 

Related: Why do some of us shiver when we pee?

In kids over a year of age, the amount of pee the bladder holds can be estimated with a formula, according to Physiology, Bladder (StatsPearl Publishing, 2022).

Do the math: (years

how much urine should a male bladder hold

how much urine should a female bladder hold