---
title: "What Does Each Pokémon Stat Do? HP, Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk and Speed | pokee.si"
url: "https://pokee.si/articles/what-does-each-pokemon-stat-do"
description: "HP is how much damage a Pokémon can take, Attack hits with physical moves, Speed decides who goes first. See what all six stats do and who has the most."
last_updated: "2026-10-21"
publisher: "pokee.si: a Pokédex for families (unofficial fan site)"
published: "2026-10-21"
---

# What Does Each Pokémon Stat Do? HP, Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk and Speed

Each Pokémon has six stats. HP tells you how much damage it can take before it faints. Attack and Sp. Atk (short for Special Attack) show how hard it hits with physical and special moves. Defense and Sp. Def (Special Defense) show how well it takes those hits. Speed decides who moves first.

A stat is a number that says how good a Pokémon is at one job. Every number on this page comes from the pokee.si Pokédex data. For the numbers that go with each Pokémon and how they turn into real stats, read [Pokémon base stats explained](https://pokee.si/articles/pokemon-base-stats-explained).

## The six stats in one line each

| Stat | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| HP | How much damage the Pokémon can take before it faints |
| Attack | How hard its physical moves hit |
| Defense | How well it takes physical moves |
| Sp. Atk | How hard its special moves hit |
| Sp. Def | How well it takes special moves |
| Speed | Who moves first |

A Pokémon's moves are physical, special or status. In our data there are 390 physical moves, 258 special moves and 271 status moves. Status moves, like Growl, don't do damage, so they don't use Attack or Sp. Atk. Learn more in the [physical, special and status lesson](https://pokee.si/lessons/physical-special-status).

## Who has the highest and lowest of each stat?

This shows the average, the highest and the lowest base stats across all Pokémon:

| Stat | Average | Highest | Lowest |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| HP | 70 | [Blissey](https://pokee.si/pokemon/blissey) 255 | [Shedinja](https://pokee.si/pokemon/shedinja) 1 |
| Attack | 78 | [Kartana](https://pokee.si/pokemon/kartana) 181 | [Happiny](https://pokee.si/pokemon/happiny), [Chansey](https://pokee.si/pokemon/chansey) 5 |
| Defense | 73 | [Shuckle](https://pokee.si/pokemon/shuckle) 230 | [Happiny](https://pokee.si/pokemon/happiny), [Chansey](https://pokee.si/pokemon/chansey) 5 |
| Sp. Atk | 70 | [Xurkitree](https://pokee.si/pokemon/xurkitree) 173 | [Bonsly](https://pokee.si/pokemon/bonsly), [Feebas](https://pokee.si/pokemon/feebas), [Shuckle](https://pokee.si/pokemon/shuckle) 10 |
| Sp. Def | 70 | [Shuckle](https://pokee.si/pokemon/shuckle) 230 | [Stonjourner](https://pokee.si/pokemon/stonjourner), [Carvanha](https://pokee.si/pokemon/carvanha), [Igglybuff](https://pokee.si/pokemon/igglybuff) 20 |
| Speed | 67 | [Regieleki](https://pokee.si/pokemon/regieleki) 200 | [Pyukumuku](https://pokee.si/pokemon/pyukumuku), [Munchlax](https://pokee.si/pokemon/munchlax), [Shuckle](https://pokee.si/pokemon/shuckle) 5 |

Six Pokémon share the lowest Sp. Def, 20: Caterpie, Weedle, Magikarp, Igglybuff, Carvanha and Stonjourner. Shuckle is a funny one: it tops Defense and Sp. Def, but it is very low in Attack, Sp. Atk and Speed.

## HP

HP means Hit Points. Bulbapedia says it "determines how much damage a Pokémon can receive before fainting." It is the only stat with no stages, which you will meet below. Blissey's 255 is the highest of any Pokémon. Shedinja's HP is 1, the lowest possible.

## Attack and Defense

Attack and Defense work together on physical moves. [Earthquake](https://pokee.si/moves/earthquake) and [Close Combat](https://pokee.si/moves/close-combat) are physical moves. A Pokémon with high Attack hits hard with these, and a Pokémon with high Defense takes them well. [Kartana](https://pokee.si/pokemon/kartana) has the top Attack at 181. [Shuckle](https://pokee.si/pokemon/shuckle) has the top Defense at 230. For more, see the [highest Attack list](https://pokee.si/articles/pokemon-with-the-highest-attack) and the [highest Defense list](https://pokee.si/articles/pokemon-with-the-highest-defense).

## Sp. Atk and Sp. Def

These are the same idea for special moves, like [Flamethrower](https://pokee.si/moves/flamethrower). [Xurkitree](https://pokee.si/pokemon/xurkitree) has the top Sp. Atk at 173, and Shuckle ties for the best Sp. Def with 230.

In the very first games, there was only one Special stat, and it did both jobs. In Generation 2 it was split into Sp. Atk and Sp. Def. That is why a Pokémon like [Alakazam](https://pokee.si/pokemon/alakazam) can have a big Sp. Atk (135) and a lower Sp. Def (95). Its Attack is only 50. Compare it with a strong physical hitter in [Alakazam vs Machamp](https://pokee.si/vs/alakazam-vs-machamp).

## Speed

Speed decides who attacks first each turn. A fast Pokémon can knock out an enemy before it gets to move. [Regieleki](https://pokee.si/pokemon/regieleki) is the fastest at 200, and three Pokémon tie for the slowest with 5: Pyukumuku, Munchlax and Shuckle. Moves with priority, like [Quick Attack](https://pokee.si/moves/quick-attack), go first no matter what. See [the fastest Pokémon](https://pokee.si/articles/fastest-pokemon) and the [speed tiers chart](https://pokee.si/speed-tiers) for more.

## Accuracy and evasion

There are two more stats that only matter in battle. Accuracy is how likely a Pokémon is to hit with its moves. Evasion is how likely it is to dodge. Both start at 100% at the start of a battle. You can't see them on a Pokémon's stat card, but moves and items can change them.

## Stat stages: raising and lowering stats in battle

Some moves raise or lower a stat during a battle. The change happens in steps called stages, from -6 up to +6. Each stage multiplies the stat:

| Stage | -6 | -4 | -2 | -1 | 0 | +1 | +2 | +4 | +6 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, Speed | ×0.25 | ×0.33 | ×0.5 | ×0.67 | ×1 | ×1.5 | ×2 | ×3 | ×4 |

So +2 Attack doubles a Pokémon's Attack. HP has no stages. When a Pokémon switches out of battle, its stages are reset to zero.

## Two ways a stat can change for good

Natures and effort values both change a Pokémon's stats for the long term. A Nature raises one stat by 10% and lowers another by 10%, and it never touches HP. Of the 25 Natures, 20 change a stat and 5 are neutral. Each of the five non-HP stats is raised by 4 Natures and lowered by 4. See the [Natures chart](https://pokee.si/articles/pokemon-natures-chart).

Effort values are extra training points a Pokémon earns by defeating other Pokémon. Each species gives points in certain stats. In our data, 297 species give Attack points, 199 give Speed points, 197 give Sp. Atk points, 168 give Defense points, 131 give HP points and 128 give Sp. Def points. More in the [stats, IVs, EVs and Natures guide](https://pokee.si/guide/mechanics/stats-ivs-evs-natures).

## Moves that break the rules

Most moves use the usual stats, but a few swap them around:

- [Body Press](https://pokee.si/moves/body-press) is a physical Fighting move that uses the user's Defense as its Attack.
- [Foul Play](https://pokee.si/moves/foul-play) uses the target's Attack stat to work out the damage.
- [Psyshock](https://pokee.si/moves/psyshock), [Psystrike](https://pokee.si/moves/psystrike) and [Secret Sword](https://pokee.si/moves/secret-sword) are special moves, but they hit the target's Defense, not its Sp. Def.
- [Gyro Ball](https://pokee.si/moves/gyro-ball) gets stronger when the user is slower than its target, up to a power of 150.
- [Electro Ball](https://pokee.si/moves/electro-ball) is the opposite: it gets stronger when the user is faster, up to 150.

## Where to go next

- Open the [Reading a stat card lesson](https://pokee.si/lessons/reading-a-stat-card).
- Play [Stat Duel](https://pokee.si/games/stat-duel) to guess which Pokémon has the higher stat.
- Put two Pokémon side by side on the [compare page](https://pokee.si/compare).

## Questions people ask

### What does HP mean in Pokémon?

HP stands for Hit Points. It is how much damage a Pokémon can take before it faints. When a Pokémon's HP reaches zero, it can't battle any more until it is healed.

### What is the difference between Attack and Sp. Atk?

Attack powers physical moves, like Tackle or Earthquake. Sp. Atk, short for Special Attack, powers special moves, like Flamethrower or Psychic. Each move page on pokee.si says which kind it is.

### What does Speed do in Pokémon?

Speed decides who moves first in a turn. The Pokémon with the higher Speed attacks first, except when a move with priority, such as Quick Attack, jumps the queue.

### Which Pokémon has the highest HP?

Blissey, with a base HP of 255. Shedinja has the lowest HP of any Pokémon, with 1.

### Can a stat go above its normal number during a battle?

Yes. Moves can raise a stat by up to 6 stages, which can multiply it by as much as 4. They can also lower a stat by up to 6 stages. Only HP can't be raised or lowered this way.

## Sources

- [Bulbapedia: Stat](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Stat)
- [Bulbapedia: Stat modifier](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Stat_modifier)
- [Bulbapedia: Body Press (move)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Body_Press_(move))
- [Bulbapedia: Psyshock (move)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Psyshock_(move))
- [Bulbapedia: Gyro Ball (move)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Gyro_Ball_(move))

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Source: https://pokee.si/articles/what-does-each-pokemon-stat-do (HTML page). pokee.si is an unofficial fan site and is not affiliated with Nintendo, Creatures, GAME FREAK or The Pokémon Company. Pokémon and all related names and images are © their respective owners.