Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) I and II, which are present in normal human beings, were measured in serum samples from 11 pygmies from the Central African Republic, 31 controls, and 12 patients with growth hormone deficiency. The mean serum concentration of IGF-I (+/- S.E.M.) was 68.6 +/- 8 ng per milliliter in pygmies, as compared with 193 +/- 10 ng per milliliter in controls (P less than 0.001) and 24 +/- 4 ng per milliliter in patients with growth hormone deficiency (P less than 0.05). Mean serum concentrations of IGF-II in controls, pygmies, and growth hormone-deficient patients were 647 +/- 22, 503 +/- 37, and 252 +/- 29 ng per milliliter, respectively. The serum IGF-I concentration was within the normal range in only one pygmy, whereas IGF-II values were within the normal range in 10 of 11. Pygmies appear to have a major defect in the production of IGF-I.