Pull-up standards work differently from a barbell lift, because the load is your own bodyweight and the measure is reps, not pounds. How many pull-ups you should be able to do depends on your bodyweight and training, and the honest answer is that a single clean rep already puts you ahead of most untrained adults.
Reps, not pounds
A pull-up standard is read in reps at your bodyweight, because a heavier person lifts more absolute weight per rep. That is why a lighter trained person often out-reps a heavier one who is objectively stronger: the standard accounts for it by reading reps against bodyweight, so both are judged fairly.
How many is good
One strict pull-up is already beyond most untrained adults; a handful of clean reps is a solid intermediate marker, and double figures is advanced for most bodyweights. Chin-ups, with the palms facing you, are slightly easier and read on their own scale, so how many chin-ups you should be able to do is a different, slightly higher number.
Building the first rep
If you cannot yet do one, the standard still applies: you sit at the bottom band, and the path up is assisted reps, negatives and rows. How many pull-ups the average man can do is often zero without training, which is exactly why a single strict rep is a meaningful first standard to clear.
Questions people ask about pull up standards
How many pull-ups should I be able to do?
One strict pull-up already beats most untrained adults; a handful of clean reps is a good intermediate marker and double figures is advanced for most bodyweights.
How many pull-ups can the average man do?
Without training, often zero or one, which is why a single strict rep is a meaningful standard; with training, a handful of clean reps is common.
How many chin-ups should I be able to do compared with pull-ups?
Slightly, because the palms-facing grip recruits more biceps, so how many chin-ups you should be able to do is usually a little higher than your pull-up number.
How many pull ups can the average person do?
Across the whole population, very few. A clean full-range pull-up is beyond most untrained adults, so the honest average is close to zero; among people who train the movement, a handful of clean reps at bodyweight is the ordinary middle of the range.
What is the average pull ups for a man?
For an untrained man, a rep or two at best. For a man who trains the movement, several clean reps at his own bodyweight, with the count falling as bodyweight rises for the same relative strength, which is why the standard is read in reps at your weight rather than in reps alone.