Your kidneys are two bean-shaped organs located just below your rib cage, one on each side of your spine. They lie in the upper retroperitoneal area of your abdomen, behind the peritoneum and between the levels of the T12 to L3 vertebrae, with the right kidney usually positioned slightly lower than the left due to the liver's presence
. They sit behind your belly and intestines, near the back muscles, and each kidney is about the size of a fist, roughly 4 to 5 inches long
. The kidneys filter blood, remove waste and excess fluids, and produce urine, which travels to the bladder through ureters
