Albumin globulin ratio: normal range and what a low A/G ratio means

The albumin globulin ratio, or A/G ratio, compares the two main groups of protein in your blood: albumin, made by the liver, and globulins, which include the antibodies of the immune system and many transport proteins. It is not measured directly. It is calculated from total protein and albumin, and it is read for the balance between the two rather than for either one alone.

How it is calculated

Two results come from the lab: total protein and albumin. Globulin is what is left when albumin is taken away from total protein, and the ratio is albumin divided by that globulin:

• Globulin = total protein - albumin
• A/G ratio = albumin / globulin

For example, a total protein of 72 g/L and an albumin of 45 g/L give a globulin of 27 g/L and a ratio of 1.7. Because both numbers are in the same units, the ratio has no unit.

Normal range

There is no single agreed range. The University of Washington's laboratory medicine department, for example, reports 1.0 to 2.4 for adults. Albumin normally makes up 55 to 60% of the protein in serum, so in most people albumin is the larger share and the ratio sits above 1.

The ratio carries the variation of both measurements it comes from, and globulin cut-offs are often set by each laboratory. Ranges vary by laboratory, method, age and sex, so read your result against the range printed on your own report.

What a low ratio usually points to

A low ratio means albumin has fallen, globulin has risen, or both. A doctor looks at which one moved.

• Globulin up. Ongoing inflammation, autoimmune conditions such as lupus, and chronic infections raise antibody levels across the board.
• Albumin down. Liver disease, including cirrhosis, and kidney disease that lets albumin leak into the urine. A recent infection or operation also lowers albumin for weeks.
• A single protein made in excess. Occasionally a low ratio reflects one antibody being made in large amounts. The ratio is a weak screen for this: in a 2025 study of 7,946 patients tested for such proteins, a low ratio picked up 44% of those who had one. A doctor who wants to look for it orders serum protein electrophoresis, which separates the globulins.

What a high ratio usually points to

A high ratio usually means globulin is on the low side, and it is less common. MedlinePlus lists some inherited conditions and some blood disorders among the causes. When globulin is low, a doctor usually measures the antibodies directly, as the immunoglobulins IgG, IgA and IgM, rather than relying on the ratio.

What moves it

• Anything that moves albumin. An infection, injury or operation lowers albumin and pulls the ratio down. Pregnancy does too, since a lower albumin is normal then.
• Dehydration concentrates both halves at once, so it changes total protein more than it changes the ratio.
• Method. Albumin can be measured with different dye methods that disagree most when albumin is low, and that difference flows into the ratio.
• Sample type. Plasma contains fibrinogen, which adds about 4 g/L to total protein compared with serum, so a plasma sample nudges calculated globulin up and the ratio down.

Preparing for the test

Nothing is specific to the ratio. It comes from the same sample as the liver function test, so follow the fasting instruction for that draw, sit quietly before the sample, and mention any medicines you take.

How Clare's panel handles it

Clare calculates the albumin/globulin ratio from two results the lab measures, total protein and albumin. It calculates globulin (total protein minus albumin), then divides albumin by globulin. In Clare's panel, globulin and the ratio are both listed as calculated markers, next to the measured albumin and total protein.

Price

The ratio is usually reported within a liver function test that includes total protein and albumin. When we read public prices on 11 October 2026, a liver function test cost from 89 to 1,100 at six UAE providers; the top of that range was a hospital package that adds other tests. VAT is rarely stated, some are offer or "from" prices, and home collection can add a fee.

Related tests

Read the ratio with albumin and total protein, the two measured results it comes from, and with CRP, which helps show whether inflammation is behind a raised globulin. For what a broad panel usually covers, see Comprehensive blood test in Dubai: what to expect.

Why it means more over time

A ratio near the bottom of the range tells you little on one occasion. A ratio that drifts down across several tests, with globulin climbing or albumin falling, is a clearer signal and worth discussing with a doctor with the results in front of you. It is rechecked whenever total protein and albumin are, usually as part of a liver function test.

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