Human height

For other uses, see Tall (disambiguation) and Height (disambiguation).

Human height or stature is the distance from the bottom of the feet to the top of the head in a human body, standing erect. It is measured using a stadiometer, usually in centimetres when using the metric system, or feet and inches when using the imperial system.

When populations share genetic background and environmental factors, average height is frequently characteristic within the group. Exceptional height variation (around 20% deviation from average) within such a population is sometimes due to gigantism or dwarfism, which are medical conditions caused by specific genes or endocrine abnormalities.

In regions of poverty or warfare, environmental factors like chronic malnutrition during childhood or adolescence may result in delayed growth and/or marked reductions in adult stature even without the presence of any of these medical conditions.

Determinants of growth and height

Median (50th percentile) growth curves for male and female 0–20 years.

The study of height is known as auxology. Growth has long been recognized as a measure of the health of individuals, hence part of the reasoning for the use of growth charts. For individuals, as indicators of health problems, growth trends are tracked for significant deviations and growth is also monitored for significant deficiency from genetic expectations. Genetics is a major factor in determining the height of individuals, though it is far less influential in regard to differences among populations. Average height is relevant to the measurement of the health and wellness (standard of living and quality of life) of populations. Attributed as a significant reason for the trend of increasing height in parts of Europe are the egalitarian populations where proper medical care and adequate nutrition are relatively equally distributed. Changes in diet (nutrition) and a general rise in quality of health care and standard of living are the cited factors in the Asian populations. Malnutrition including chronic undernutrition and acute malnutrition is known to have caused stunted growth in various populations. This has been seen in North Korea, parts of Africa, certain historical Europe, and other populations. Developing countries such as Guatemala have rates of stunting in children under 5 living as high as 82.2% in Totonicapán, and 49.8% nationwide.

Height measurements are by nature subject to statistical sampling errors even for a single individual. In a clinical situation, height measurements are seldom taken more often than once per office visit, which may mean sampling taking place a week to several months apart. The smooth 50th percentile male and female growth curves illustrated above are aggregate values from thousands of individuals sampled at ages from birth to age 20. In reality, a single individual's growth curve shows large upward and downward spikes, partly due to actual differences in growth velocity, and partly due to small measurement errors. For example, a typical measurement error of plus or minus 0.5 cm may completely nullify 0.5 cm of actual growth resulting in either a "negative" 0.5 cm growth (due to overestimation in the previous visit combined with underestimation in the latter), up to a 1.5 cm growth (the first visit underestimating and the second visit overestimating) in the same elapsed time period between measurements. Note there is a discontinuity in the growth curves at age 2, which reflects the difference in recumbent length (with the child on his or her back), used in measuring infants and toddlers and standing height typically measured from age 2 onwards.

Sir Francis Galton's (1889) data showing the relationship between offspring height (928 individuals) as a function of mean parent height (205 sets of parents). The correlation was 0.57.

Height, like other phenotypic traits, is determined by a combination of genetics and environmental factors. A child's height based on parental heights is subject to regression toward the mean, therefore extremely tall or short parents will likely have correspondingly taller or shorter offspring, but their offspring will also likely be closer to average height than the parents themselves. Genetic potential and a number of hormones, minus illness, is a basic determinant for height. Other factors include the genetic response to external factors such as diet, exercise, environment, and life circumstances. Humans grow fastest (other than in the womb) as infants and toddlers, rapidly declining from a maximum at birth to roughly age 2, tapering to a slowly declining rate, and then during the pubertal growth spurt, a rapid rise to a second maximum (at around 11–12 years for female, and 13–14 years for male), followed by a steady decline to zero. On average, female growth speed trails off to zero at about 15 or 16 years, whereas the male curve continues for approximately 3 more years, going to zero at about 18–20. These are also critical periods where stressors such as malnutrition (or even severe child neglect) have the greatest effect.

Moreover, the health of a mother throughout her life, especially during her critical period and pregnancy, has a role. A healthier child and adult develops a body that is better able to provide optimal prenatal conditions. The pregnant mother's health is important as gestation is itself a critical period for an embryo/fetus, though some problems affecting height during this period are resolved by catch-up growth assuming childhood conditions are good. Thus, there is a cumulative generation effect such that nutrition and health over generations influences the height of descendants to varying degrees.

The age of the mother also has some influence on her child's height. Studies in modern times have observed a gradual increase in height with maternal age, though these early studies suggest that trend is due to various socio-economic situations that select certain demographics as being more likely to have a first birth early in the mother's life. These same studies show that children born to a young mother are more likely to have below-average educational and behavioural development, again suggesting an ultimate cause of resources and family status rather than a purely biological explanation.

It has been observed that first-born males are shorter than later-born males. However, more recently the reverse observation was made. The study authors suggest that the cause may be socio-economic in nature.

The precise relationship between genetics and environment is complex and uncertain. Differences in human height is 60%–80% heritable, according to several twin studies and has been considered polygenic since the Mendelian-biometrician debate a hundred years ago. A genome-wide association (GWA) study of more than 180,000 individuals has identified hundreds of genetic variants in at least 180 loci associated with adult human height. The number of individuals has since been expanded to 253,288 individuals and the number of genetic variants identified is 697 in 423 genetic loci. In a separate study of body proportion using sitting-height ratio, it reports that these 697 variants can be partitioned into 3 distinct classes, (1) variants that primarily determine leg length, (2) variants that primarily determine head and/or torso length, or (3) variants that affect overall body size, i.e. have no effect on body proportion, which gives insights into the biological mechanisms underlying how these 697 genetic variants affect overall height.

The effect of environment on height is illustrated by studies performed by anthropologist Barry Bogin and coworkers of Guatemala Mayan children living in the United States. In the early 1970s, when Bogin first visited Guatemala, he observed that Mayan Indian men averaged only in height and the women averaged . Bogin took another series of measurements after the Guatemalan Civil War had erupted, during which up to a million Guatemalans had fled to the United States. He discovered that Maya refugees, who ranged from six to twelve years old, were significantly taller than their Guatemalan counterparts. By 2000, the American Maya were 10.24 cm (4.03 in) taller than the Guatemalan Maya of the same age, largely due to better nutrition and health care. Bogin also noted that American Maya children had a significantly lower sitting height ratio, (i.e., relatively longer legs, averaging 7.02 cm (2.76 in) longer) than the Guatemalan Maya.

The Nilotic peoples of Sudan such as the Shilluk and Dinka have been described as some of the tallest in the world. Dinka Ruweng males investigated by Roberts in 1953–54 were on average tall, and Shilluk males averaged . The Nilotic people are characterized as having long legs, narrow bodies and short trunks, an adaptation to hot weather. However, male Dinka and Shilluk refugees measured in 1995 in Southwestern Ethiopia were on average only 1.764 m and 1.726 m tall, respectively.

In Tibet, the khampas are known for their great height. Khampa males are on average 180 cm tall (5 ft 11 in). Anthropologist Michael Peissel described the Khampa in 1964: "The Khampas stood a good six feet in height."

The people of the Dinaric Alps (South Slavs) are on record as being the tallest in the world, with a male average height of 185.6 cm (6 ft 1.1 in) and female average height of 170.9 cm (5 ft 7.3 in).

Process of growth

Main pathways in endocrine regulation of growth.

Growth in stature, determined by its various factors, results from the lengthening of bones via cellular divisions chiefly regulated by somatotropin (human growth hormone (hGH)) secreted by the anterior pituitary gland. Somatotropin also stimulates the release of another growth inducing hormone Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) mainly by the liver. Both hormones operate on most tissues of the body, have many other functions, and continue to be secreted throughout life; with peak levels coinciding with peak growth velocity, and gradually subsiding with age after adolescence. The bulk of secretion occurs in bursts (especially for adolescents) with the largest during sleep.

The majority of linear growth occurs as growth of cartilage at the epiphysis (ends) of the long bones which gradually ossify to form hard bone. The legs compose approximately half of adult human height, and leg length is a somewhat sexually dimorphic trait. Some of this growth occurs after the growth spurt of the long bones has ceased or slowed. The majority of growth during growth spurts is of the long bones. Additionally, the variation in height between populations and across time is largely due to changes in leg length. The remainder of height consists of the cranium. Height is sexually dimorphic and statistically it is more or less normally distributed, but with heavy tails.

Height abnormalities

Female Stature vs Age (US CDC)

Male Stature vs Age (US CDC)

Most intra-population variance of height is genetic. Short stature and tall stature are usually not a health concern. If the degree of deviation from normal is significant, hereditary short stature is known as familial short stature and tall stature is known as familial tall stature. Confirmation that exceptional height is normal for a respective person can be ascertained from comparing stature of family members and analyzing growth trends for abrupt changes, among others. There are, however, various diseases and disorders that cause growth abnormalities. Most notably, extreme height may be pathological, such as gigantism resulting from childhood hyperpituitarism, and dwarfism which has various causes. Rarely, no cause can be found for extreme height; very short persons may be termed as having idiopathic short stature. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2003 approved hGH treatment for those 2.25 standard deviations below the population mean (approximately the lowest 1.2% of the population). An even rarer occurrence, or at least less used term and recognized "problem", is idiopathic tall stature.

If not enough growth hormone is produced and/or secreted by the pituitary gland, then a patient with growth hormone deficiency can undergo treatment. This treatment involves the injection of pure growth hormone into thick tissue to promote growth.

Role of an individual's height

Height and health

Certain studies have shown that height is a factor in overall health while some suggest tallness is associated with better cardiovascular health and shortness with longevity. Cancer risk has also been found to grow with height.

Nonetheless, modern westernized interpretations of the relationship between height and health fail to account for the observed height variations worldwide. Cavalli-Sforza and Cavalli-Sforza note that variations in height worldwide can be partly attributed to evolutionary pressures resulting from differing environments. These evolutionary pressures result in height related health implications. While tallness is an adaptive benefit in colder climates such as found in Europe, shortness helps dissipate body heat in warmer climatic regions. Consequently, the relationships between health and height cannot be easily generalized since tallness and shortness can both provide health benefits in different environmental settings.

At the extreme end, being excessively tall can cause various medical problems, including cardiovascular problems, because of the increased load on the heart to supply the body with blood, and problems resulting from the increased time it takes the brain to communicate with the extremities. For example, Robert Wadlow, the tallest man known to verifiable history, developed trouble walking as his height increased throughout his life. In many of the pictures of the later portion of his life, Wadlow can be seen gripping something for support. Late in his life, although he died at age 22, he had to wear braces on his legs and walk with a cane; and he died after developing an infection in his legs because he was unable to feel the irritation and cutting caused by his leg braces. Excessive tallness and excessive shortness each can cause social exclusion and discrimination for both men and women (heightism).

Sources are in disagreement about the overall relationship between height and longevity. Samaras and Elrick, in the Western Journal of Medicine, demonstrate an inverse correlation between height and longevity in several mammals including humans.

Women whose height is under 150 cm (4 ft 11 in) may have a small pelvis, resulting in such complications during childbirth as shoulder dystocia.

A study done in Sweden has shown that there is a strong inverse correlation between height and suicide among Swedish men.

Height and occupational success

See also: Heights of presidents and presidential candidates of the United States

There is a large body of research in psychology, economics, and human biology that has assessed the relationship between several seemingly innocuous physical features (e.g., body height) and occupational success. The correlation between height and success was explored decades ago. Shorter people are considered to have an advantage in certain sports (e.g., gymnastics, race car driving, etc.), whereas in many other sports taller people have a major advantage. In most occupational fields, body height is not relevant to how well people are able to perform, but nonetheless has been found to correlate with their success in several studies, although there may be other factors such as gender or socioeonomic status that explain this.

A demonstration of the height-success association can be found in the realm of politics. In the United States presidential elections, the taller candidate won 22 out of 25 times in the 20th century. Nevertheless, Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, was 150 cm (4 ft 11 in) and several prominent world leaders of the 20th century, such as Vladimir Lenin, Benito Mussolini, Nicolae Ceaușescu and Joseph Stalin were of below average height. These examples, however, were all before modern forms of multi-media, i.e., television, which may further height discrimination in modern society. Further, growing evidence suggests that height may be a proxy for confidence, which is likewise strongly correlated with occupational success.

Sports

Main article: Height in sports

History of human height

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, people of European descent in North America were far taller than those in Europe and were the tallest in the world. The original indigenous population of Plains Native Americans was also among the tallest populations of the world at the time.

In the late nineteenth century, the Netherlands was a land renowned for its short population, but today its population is among the world's tallest with young men averaging 183.8 cm (6 ft 0.4 in) tall.

According to a study by economist John Komlos and Francesco Cinnirella, in the first half of the 18th century, the average height of an English male was 165 cm (5 ft 5 in), and the average height of an Irish male was 168 cm (5 ft 6 in). The estimated mean height of English, German, and Scottish soldiers was 163.6 cm – 165.9 cm (5 ft 4.4 in – 5 ft 5.3 in) for the period as a whole, while that of Irish was 167.9 cm (5 ft 6.1 in). The average height of male slaves and convicts in North America was 171 cm (5 ft 7 in).

American-born colonial soldiers of the late 1770s were on average more than 7.6 cm (3 inches) taller than their English counterparts who served in Royal Marines at the same time.

Average height of Americans and Europeans decreased during periods of rapid industrialization, possibly due to rapid population growth and increased economic inequality. In early 19th century England, the difference between average height of English upper class youth (students of Sandhurst Military Academy) and English lower class youth (Marine Society boys) reached 22 cm (8.7 in), the highest that has been observed.

Data derived from burials show that before 1850, the mean stature of males and females in Leiden, Netherlands was respectively 166.7 cm (5 ft 5.6 in) and 156.7 cm (5 ft 1.7 in). The average height of 19-year-old Dutch orphans in 1865 was 160 cm (5 ft 3 in).

According to a study by J.W. Drukker and Vincent Tassenaar, the average height of Dutch decreased from 1830 to 1857, even while Dutch real GNP per capita was growing at an average rate of more than 0.5 percent per year. The worst decline were in urban areas that in 1847, the urban height penalty was 2.5cms (1 in). Urban mortality was also much higher than rural regions. In 1829, the average urban and rural Dutchman was 164 cm (5 ft 4.6 in). By 1856, the average rural Dutchman was 162 cm (5 ft 3.8 in) and urban Dutchman was 158.5 cm (5 ft 2.4 in).

A 2004 report citing a 2003 UNICEF study on the effects of malnutrition in North Korea, due to "successive famines," found young adult males to be significantly shorter. In contrast South Koreans "feasting on an increasingly Western-influenced diet," without famine, were growing taller. The height difference is minimal for Koreans over 40, who grew up at a time when economic conditions in the North were roughly comparable to those in the South, while height disparities are most acute for Koreans who grew up in the mid-1990s – a demographic in which South Koreans are about 12 cm (4.7 in) taller than their North Korean counterparts – as this was a period during which the North was affected by a harsh famine. A study by South Korean anthropologists of North Korean children who had defected to China found that 18-year-old males were 5 inches shorter than South Koreans their age due to malnutrition.

The tallest living man is Sultan Kösen of Turkey, at . The tallest man in modern history was Robert Pershing Wadlow (1918–1940), from Illinois, in the United States, who was at the time of his death. The tallest woman in medical history was Zeng Jinlian of Hunan, China, who stood when she died at the age of 17. The shortest adult human on record is Chandra Bahadur Dangi of Nepal at .

Adult height between populations often differs significantly. For example, the average height of women from the Czech Republic is greater than that of men from Malawi. This may be caused by genetic differences, childhood lifestyle differences (nutrition, sleep patterns, physical labor), or both.

Depending on sex, genetic and environmental factors, shrinkage of stature may begin in middle age in some individuals but tends to be universal in the extremely aged. This decrease in height is due to such factors as decreased height of inter-vertebral discs because of desiccation, atrophy of soft tissues and postural changes secondary to degenerative disease.

Average height around the world

Below are average adult heights by country/geographical region. The original studies and sources should be consulted for details on methodology and the exact populations measured, surveyed, or considered.

As with any statistical data, the accuracy of this data may be questionable for various reasons:

• Some studies may allow subjects to self-report values. Generally speaking, self-reported height tends to be taller than its measured height, although the overestimation of height depends on the reporting subject's height, age, gender and region.
• Test subjects may have been invited instead of chosen at random, resulting in sampling bias.
• Some countries may have significant height gaps between different regions. For instance, one survey shows there is gap between the tallest state and the shortest state in Germany. Under such circumstances, the mean height may not represent the total population unless sample subjects are appropriately taken from all regions with using weighted average of the different regional groups.
• Different social groups can show different mean height. According to a study in France, executives and professionals are taller, and university students are taller than the national average. As this case shows, data taken from a particular social group may not represent a total population in some countries.
• A relatively small sample of the population may have been measured, which makes it uncertain whether this sample accurately represents the entire population.
• The height of persons can vary over the course of a day, due to factors such as a height increase from exercise done directly before measurement (normally inversely correlated), or a height increase since lying down for a significant period of time (normally inversely correlated). For example, one study revealed a mean decrease of 1.54 centimetres (0.61 in) in the heights of 100 children from getting out of bed in the morning to between 4 and 5 p.m. that same day. Such factors may not have been controlled in some of the studies.

Below are average adult human heights by country or geographical region. The original studies and sources should be consulted for details on methodology and the exact populations measured, surveyed, or considered.

  Data is representative of the majority of the country or region's adult population.

Note: Letters in grey indicate non-measured height.

Country/Region	Average male height	Average female height	Stature ratio (male to female)	Sample population / age range	Share of pop. over 18 covered	Methodology	Year	Source
Albania			1.08	20–29 (N= m:649 f:1,806)	23.5%	Measured	2008–2009
Argentina	N/A		N/A	19–49	60.4%	Measured	2004–2005
Argentina			1.08	Healthy, 18 (N= m:90 f:97, SD= m: f:)	2.9%	Measured	1998–2001
Armenia	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:4,218, SD= f:)	48.6%	Self-reported	2005
Australia			1.09	18+	100.0%	Measured	2011–2012
Australia			1.09	18–24	12.4%	Measured	2011–2012
Austria			1.08	20–49	54.3%	Measured	2006
Austria			1.08	20–24	7.7%	Measured	2006
Austria		N/A	1.07	30–34	7.8%	Estimates	2010
Austria			1.07	21 (N= m:53 f:69, SD= m: f:)	1.5%	Self-reported	2001
Azerbaijan			1.04	16+	106.5%	Measured	2005
Bahrain			1.07	19+ (N= m:1,120 f:1,181, SD= m: f:)	97.7%	Measured	2002
Bahrain			1.09	18	1.9%	Measured	2009
Bangladesh	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:7,368, SD= f:)	56.2%	Self-reported	2007
Belgium		N/A	N/A	30–34	8.1%	Estimates	2010
Belgium			1.06	21 (N= m:20–49 f:20–49, SD= m: f:)	1.7%	Self-reported	2001
Benin	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:11,015, SD= f:)	53.5%	Self-reported	2006
Bolivia	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:10,302, SD= f:)	52.6%	Self-reported	2003
Bolivia			1.13	Aymara, 20–29	N/A	Measured	1970
Bosnia and Herzegovina			1.07	Students at UBL,19–32 (N= m:178 f:34, SD= m: f:)	0.4%	Measured	2014
Brazil			1.07	18+ (N= m:62,037 f:65,696)	100.0%	Measured	2009
Brazil			1.07	20-24 (N= m:8,299 f:7,938)	13.0%	Measured	2009
Brazil – Urban			1.07	20-24 (N= m:6,360 f:6,305)	10.9%	Measured	2009
Brazil – Rural			1.07	20-24 (N= m:1,939 f:1,633)	2.1%	Measured	2009
Bulgaria			1.07	N/A	N/A	N/A	2010
Bulgaria – Sofia			1.08	N/A	N/A	N/A	2010
Burkina Faso	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:7,337, SD= f:)	55.5%	Self-reported	2003
Cambodia	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:5,081, SD= f:)	52.2%	Self-reported	2005
Cameroon – Urban			1.06	15+ (N= m:3,746 f:5,078)	53.6%	Measured	2003
Cameroon – Urban			1.06	35-44 (N= m:558 f:1,156)	8.7%	Measured	2003
Canada			1.08	18–79	94.7%	Measured	2007–2009
Canada			1.08	25–44	36.5%	Measured	2005
Central African Republic	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:1,408, SD= f:)	50.0%	Self-reported	1994
Chad	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:2,393, SD= f:)	51.9%	Self-reported	2004
Chile			1.09	15+	107.2%	Measured	2009–2010
Chile			1.09	25–44	41.2%	Measured	2009–2010
Chile			1.07	15–24	23.7%	Measured	2009–2010
China, People's Republic of			1.07	18+	100.0%	Measured	2012
China, Mainland			1.07	19	2.1%	Measured	2010
China, People's Republic of – Urban			1.07	17	0.6%	Measured	2002
China, People's Republic of – Rural			1.06	17	1.6%	Measured	2002
China, People's Republic of – Beijing			1.08	21	0.2%	Measured	2010
China, People's Republic of – Sichuan			1.07	20–24	0.7%	Measured	2010
Colombia			1.07	18–22 (N= m:1,528,875 f:1,468,110)	14.1%	Measured	2002
Colombia	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:22,947, SD= f:)	55.8%	Self-reported	2004
Comoros	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:644, SD= f:)	49.8%	Self-reported	1996
Congo, Democratic Republic of the	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:2,727, SD= f:)	52.7%	Self-reported	2005
Congo, Republic of the	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:3,922, SD= f:)	55.7%	Self-reported	2007
Croatia			1.09	18 (N= m:358 f:360, SD= m: f:)	1.6%	Measured	2006–2008
Cuba – Urban			1.08	15+	79.2%	Measured	1999
Czech Republic			1.08	17	1.6%	Measured	2001
Denmark		N/A	N/A	Conscripts, 18–20 (N= m:38,025)	5.3%	Measured	2012
Denmark		N/A	N/A	30	1.5%	Estimates	2010
Denmark			1.08	23 (N= m:–20 f:20–49, SD= m:NA f:)	1.6%	Self-reported	2001
Dinaric Alps			1.08	17	N/A	Measured	2005
Dominican Republic	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:4,763, SD= f:)	54.8%	Self-reported	1996
El Salvador	N/A		N/A	25–49	50.9%	Self-reported	2007
Egypt			1.07	20–24 (N= m:845 f:1,059)	16.6%	Measured	2008
Egypt	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:13,813, SD= f:)	53.2%	Self-reported	2008
Estonia		N/A	N/A	17	2.3%	Measured	2003
Ethiopia	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:3,868, SD= f:)	53.8%	Self-reported	1997
Europe		N/A	N/A	17-29	N/A	Measured and Self-reported	2001–2012
Finland			1.08	25–34 (N= m/f:2,305)	19.0%	Measured	1994
Finland			1.08	–25 (N= m/f:26,636)	9.2%	Measured	2010–2011
Finland		N/A	N/A	30–34	8.4%	Estimates	2010
France			1.08	18–70 (N= m/f:11,562)	85.9%	Measured	2003–2004
France			1.08	20+	96.6%	Measured	2001
France			1.08	20–29	17.5%	Measured	2001
France		N/A	N/A	30–34	8.3%	Estimates	2010
Gabon	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:1,576, SD= f:)	52.1%	Self-reported	2000
Gambia – Rural			1.06	21–49 (N= m:9,559 f:13,160, SD= m: f:)	N/A	Measured	1950–1974
Germany			1.08	18–79 (N= m/f:19,768)	94.3%	Measured	2007
Germany			1.08	18–37	29.2%	Measured	2007
Germany – Urban			1.08	18–37	7.1%	Measured	2007
Germany		N/A	N/A	30–34	7.2%	Estimates	2010
Germany			1.08	18+ (N= m:25,112 f:25,560)	100.0%	Self-reported	2009
Germany			1.08	18–25 (N= m:2,501 f:2,227)	11.3%	Self-reported	2009
Ghana	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:2,958, SD= f:)	54.4%	Self-reported	2008
Ghana			1.07	25–29	14.7%	Measured	1987–1989
Greece			1.07	18–49	56.3%	Measured	2003
Greece			1.07	20–24	8.5%	Measured	2003
Greece		N/A	N/A	Conscripts, 18–26 (N= m:3,982, SD= m:)	13.7%	Measured	2006–2007
Greece		N/A	N/A	30–34	9.5%	Estimates	2010
Greece			1.07	21 (N= m:20–49 f:20–49, SD= m: f:)	1.8%	Self-reported	2001
Guatemala	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:1,773, SD= f:)	52.3%	Self-reported	1998
Guinea	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:2,563, SD= f:)	52.9%	Self-reported	2005
Haiti	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:2,932, SD= f:)	52.8%	Self-reported	2005
Honduras	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:11,219, SD= f:)	53.3%	Self-reported	2005
Hong Kong			1.08	18 (N= m:468 f:453, SD= m: f:)	1.4%	Measured	2006
Hong Kong			1.08	University students, 19–20 (N= m:291 f:200, SD= m: f:)	0.6%	Measured	2005
Hungary			1.07	Adults	N/A	Measured	2000s
Hungary		N/A	N/A	18 (N= m:1,080, SD= m:)	1.7%	Measured	2005
India			1.08	20–49 (N= m:69,245 f:118,796)	69.8%	Measured	2005–2006
India – Rural			1.06	17+ (SD= m: f:)	72.1%	Measured	2007
India			1.09	20	3.0%	Predicted	2005–2006
Indonesia			1.07	16-30 (N= m:2,041 f:2,396, Median= m: f:)	62.5%	Self-reported	2006
Iran			1.08	21+ (N= m/f:89,532, SD= m: f:)	88.1%	Measured	2005
Iran			1.09	21–25	17.9%	Measured	2005
Iraq – Baghdad			1.06	18–44 (N= m:700 f:800, SD= m: f:)	76.3%	Measured	1999–2000
Ireland			1.09	20–49	61.8%	Measured	2007
Ireland			1.10	20–24	10.4%	Measured	2007
Ireland		N/A	N/A	30	1.7%	Estimates	2010
Ireland			1.09	21 (N= m:54 f:20–49, SD= m: f:)	2.4%	Self-reported	2001
Israel			1.07	18–21	9.7%	Measured	2010
Italy			1.09	18	1.4%	Measured	1999–2004
Italy		N/A	N/A	30	1.6%	Estimates	2010
Italy			1.06	21 (N= m:106 f:92, SD= m: f:)	1.4%	Self-reported	2001
Ivory Coast			1.07	25–29 (SD= m: f:)	14.6%	Measured	1985–1987
Ivory Coast	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:1,600, SD= f:)	53.4%	Self-reported	1998
Jamaica			1.07	25–74	71.4%	Measured	1994–1996
Japan			1.08	20–49	47.2%	Measured	2005
Japan			1.08	20–24 (N= m:1,708 f:1,559, SD= m: f:)	7.2%	Measured	2004
Japan			1.08	17	1.2%	Measured	2013
Jordan	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:4,484, SD= f:)	55.6%	Self-reported	2007
Kazakhstan	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:1,600, SD= f:)	53.7%	Self-reported	1999
Kenya	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:4,856, SD= f:)	52.5%	Self-reported	2003
North Korea			1.07	Defectors, 20–39 (N= m/f:1,075)	46.4%	Measured	2005
South Korea			1.08	20+ (N= m:2,750 f:2,445, Median= m: f:, SD= m: f:)	96.5%	Measured	2010
South Korea			1.08	20–24 (N= m:378 f:298, Median= m: f:, SD= m: f:)	8.0%	Measured	2010
South Korea		N/A	N/A	Conscripts, 18–19 (N= m:363,827)	3.8%	Measured	2014
South Korea - Seoul		N/A	N/A	Conscripts, 18–19 (N= m:65,876)	0.8%	Measured	2014
Kyrgyzstan	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:2,424, SD= f:)	55.4%	Self-reported	1997
Lesotho	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:1,879, SD= f:)	49.8%	Self-reported	2004
Liberia	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:4,281, SD= f:)	52.8%	Self-reported	2006
Lithuania		N/A	N/A	Conscripts, 19–25 (N= m:197 SD= m:)	14.7%	Measured	2005
Lithuania – Urban		N/A	N/A	Conscripts, 19–25 (N= m:91 SD= m:)	9.9%	Measured	2005
Lithuania – Rural		N/A	N/A	Conscripts, 19–25 (N= m:106 SD= m:)	4.9%	Measured	2005
Lithuania			1.08	18	2.1%	Measured	2001
Madagascar	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:5,024, SD= f:)	53.6%	Self-reported	2003
Malawi – Urban			1.07	16–60 (N= m:583 f:315, SD= m: f:)	101.1%	Measured	2000
Malaysia			1.07	Malay, 20–24 (N= m:749 f:893, Median= m: f:, SD= m: f:)	9.7%	Measured	1996
Malaysia			1.07	Chinese, 20–24 (N= m:407 f:453, Median= m: f:, SD= m: f:)	4.1%	Measured	1996
Malaysia			1.09	Indian, 20–24 (N= m:113 f:140, Median= m: f:, SD= m: f:)	1.2%	Measured	1996
Malaysia			1.08	Other indigenous, 20–24 (N= m:257 f:380, Median= m: f:, SD= m: f:)	0.4%	Measured	1996
Mali – Southern Mali			1.07	Rural adults (N= m:121 f:320, SD= m: f:)	N/A	Measured	1992
Malta			1.06	18+	100.0%	Self-reported	2003
Malta			1.07	25–34	17.5%	Self-reported	2003
Mexico			1.08	20–49	69.4%	Measured	2006
Mexico			1.08	20–24	14.5%	Measured	2006
Mexico		N/A	N/A	Middle & upper classes, young adults	N/A	Measured	N/A
Mexico – Bajío		N/A	N/A	Adults	N/A	Measured	N/A
Mexico - Central	N/A		N/A	26–39	N/A	Measured	N/A
Mexico – Morelos			1.08	18–76	1.6%	Self-reported	1998–1999
Moldova	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:4,757, SD= f:)	45.9%	Self-reported	2005
Mongolia			1.07	25–34 (N= m:158 f:181)	27.6%	Measured	2006
Montenegro			1.09	Students at UCG,18–37 (N= m:178 f:107, SD= m: f:)	3.2%	Measured	2011
Morocco	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:10,334, SD= f:)	54.7%	Self-reported	2003
Mozambique	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:6,912, SD= f:)	55.0%	Self-reported	2003
Namibia	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:5,575, SD= f:)	50.4%	Self-reported	2006
Nepal	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:6,280, SD= f:)	52.9%	Self-reported	2006
Netherlands			1.07	Caucasians,16–18 (N= m:37 f:52, SD= m: f:)	3.7%	Measured	2003
Netherlands		N/A	N/A	30–34	7.8%	Estimates	2010
Netherlands			1.08	20+	96.8%	Self-reported	2010
Netherlands			1.08	20–30	16.9%	Self-reported	2010
Netherlands			1.08	21 (N= m:74 f:50, SD= m: f:)	1.5%	Self-reported	2009
New Zealand			1.08	20–49	56.9%	Measured	2007
New Zealand			1.09	20–24	9.1%	Measured	2007
Nicaragua	N/A		N/A	25–49	54.1%	Self-reported	2001
Nigeria			1.04	18–74	98.6%	Measured	1994–1996
Nigeria			1.04	20-29 (N= m:139 f:76, SD= m: f:)	33.2%	Measured	2011
Norway		N/A	N/A	30–34	8.5%	Estimates	2010
Norway			1.08	20–85 (N= m:1534 f:1743)	93.6%	Self-reported	2008–2009
Norway			1.09	20–25 (SD= m: f:)	9.5%	Self-reported	2008–2009
Norway			1.08	26–35 (SD= m: f:)	17.0%	Self-reported	2008–2009
Peru			1.09	20+	93.8%	Measured	2005
Philippines			1.08	20+	92.7%	Measured	2003
Philippines			1.08	20–39	55.4%	Measured	2003
Poland			1.08	18 (N= m:846 f:1,126)	1.6%	Measured	2010
Portugal		N/A	N/A	18 (N= m:696)	1.5%	Measured	2008
Portugal		N/A	N/A	30–34	9.7%	Estimates	2010
Portugal			1.06	20–50	56.7%	Self-reported	2001
Portugal			1.06	21 (N= m:87 f:106, SD= m: f:)	1.9%	Self-reported	2001
Qatar			1.06	18	1.9%	Measured	2005
Rwanda	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:3,202, SD= f:)	54.2%	Self-reported	2005
Romania			1.10	N/A	N/A	Measured	2007
Russia			1.08	24	1.9%	Measured	2004
Samoa	N/A		N/A	18–28 (N= f:55 SD= f:)	32.6%	Measured	2004
Saudi Arabia			1.08	18	3.0%	Measured	2010
Senegal	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:2,533, SD= f:)	54.4%	Self-reported	2005
Serbia			1.09	Students at UNS,18–30 (N= m:318 f:76, SD= m: f:)	0.7%	Measured	2012
Singapore			1.07	Chinese students at TP,16–18 (N= m:52 f:49, SD= m: f:)	0.3%	Measured	2003
Slovakia			1.08	18	2.0%	Measured	2004
Slovenia – Ljubljana			1.08	19	0.2%	Measured	2011
South Africa			1.06	19 (N= m:121 f:118)	3.6%	Measured	2003
Sri Lanka			1.08	18+ (N= m:1,768 f:2,709, SD= m: f:)	100.0%	Measured	2005–2006
Sri Lanka			1.08	18-29 (N= m:312 f:427, SD= m: f:)	30.7%	Measured	2005–2006
Spain		N/A	N/A	18-70 (N= m:1,298 )	88.2%	Measured	2013–2014
Spain	N/A		N/A	18-70 (N= f:8,217 )	83.5%	Measured	2007–2008
Spain		N/A	N/A	18-34 (N= m:554-1,061 )	26.8%	Measured	2013–2014
Spain	N/A		N/A	18-19 (N= f:656 )	2.4%	Measured	2007–2008
Spain		N/A	N/A	30–34	11.1%	Estimates	2010
Spain			1.07	20–49	57.0%	Self-reported	2007
Spain			1.06	20–24	7.5%	Self-reported	2007
Spain			1.07	21 (N= m:111 f:94, SD= m: f:)	1.8%	Self-reported	2001
Swaziland	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:2,612, SD= f:)	51.0%	Self-reported	2006
Sweden			1.09	20–29	15.6%	Measured	2008
Sweden		N/A	N/A	30	8.0%	Estimates	2010
Sweden			1.08	20–74	86.3%	Self-reported	1987–1994
Switzerland		N/A	N/A	Conscripts, 19 (N= m:12,447, Median= m:, SD= m:)	1.5%	Measured	2009
Switzerland			1.07	20–74	88.8%	Self-reported	1987–1994
Taiwan			1.07	17 (N= m:200 f:200)	1.7%	Measured	2011
Tanzania	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:6,033, SD= f:)	52.8%	Self-reported	2004
Thailand			1.07	STOU students, 15–19 (N= m:839 f:1,636, SD= m: f:)	0.2%	Self-reported	2005
Togo	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:2,728, SD= f:)	53.4%	Self-reported	1998
Tonga			1.07	40 (N= m:241 f:299)	1.5%	Measured	2001
Turkey			1.07	20-22 (N= m:322 f:247)	8.3%	Measured	2007
Turkey – Ankara			1.10	18–59 (N= m:703 f:512, Median= m: f:, SD= m: f:)	5.1%	Measured	2004–2006
Turkey – Ankara			1.09	18–29 (N= m:390 f:163, Median= m: f:, SD= m: f:)	2.0%	Measured	2004–2006
Turkey	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:2,393, SD= f:)	54.5%	Self-reported	2003
Uganda	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:1,666, SD= f:)	53.4%	Self-reported	2006
United Arab Emirates			1.11	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
UK – England			1.08	16+ (N= m:3,154 f:3,956)	103.2%	Measured	2012
UK – England			1.08	25–34 (N= m:415 f:611)	17.2%	Measured	2012
UK – Scotland			1.08	16+ (N= m:2,512 f:3,180, Median= m: f:)	103.0%	Measured	2008
UK – Scotland			1.09	25–34 (N= m:286 f:413, Median= m: f:)	15.7%	Measured	2008
UK – Wales			1.09	16+	103.2%	Self-reported	2009
U.S.			1.09	All Americans, 20+ (N= m:5,647 f:5,971, Median= m: f:)	96.2%	Measured	2007–2010
U.S.			1.08	All Americans, 20–29 (N= m:895 f:980, Median= m: f:)	18.3%	Measured	2007–2010
U.S.			1.08	African Americans, 20–39 (N= m:356 f:397, Median= m: f:)	4.7%	Measured	2007–2010
U.S.			1.08	Hispanic/Latino Americans, 20–39 (N= m:573 f:673, Median= m: f:)	6.2%	Measured	2007–2010
U.S.			1.08	Non-Hispanic White Americans, 20–39 (N= m:797 f:824, Median= m: f:)	22.5%	Measured	2007–2010
Uruguay			1.08	Adults (N= m:2,249 f:2,114)	N/A	Measured	1990
Uzbekistan	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:2,635, SD= f:)	54.6%	Self-reported	1996
Vietnam			1.07	25–29 (SD= m: f:)	15.9%	Measured	1992–1993
Vietnam			1.07	Students, 20–25 (N= m:1,000 f:1,000, SD= m: f:)	2.0%	Measured	2006–2007
Zambia	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:4,091, SD= f:)	54.2%	Self-reported	2007
Zimbabwe	N/A		N/A	25–49 (N= f:4,746, SD= f:)	47.3%	Self-reported	2005

See also

• Anthropometry, the measurement of the human individual
• Body weight
• Human physical appearance
• Human variability
• Pygmy peoples

Bibliography

• Fitting the Task to the Man, 1987 (for heights in U.S. and Japan)
• Eurostats Statistical Yearbook 2004 (for heights in Germany)
• Netherlands Central Bureau for Statistics, 1996 (for average heights)
• Mean Body Weight, Height, and body mass index, United States 1960–2002
• UK Department of Health – Health Survey for England
• Burkhard Bilger. "The Height Gap." The New Yorker
• A collection of data on human height, referred to here as "karube" but originally collected from other sources, was originally available here (www.kurabe.net/average_height/) but is no longer. A copy is available here.www.psych.ualberta.ca/~phurd/karube/ (an English translation of this Japanese page would make it easier to evaluate the quality of the data...)
• cdc.gov
• Blaha, P. et al.: 6. Celostátní antropologický výzkum detí a mládeže 2001, Ceská republika [6th Nationwide anthropological research of children and youth 2001, Czech republic], Charles University in Prague 2005
• Bogin, B.A. (2001) The growth of humanity Wiley-Liss
• Eveleth, P.B. & Tanner, J.M. (1990) Worldwide variation in human growth, 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press.
• Ruff, C. (2002) Variation in human body size and shape. Ann. Rev. Anthropol. 31:211–232.
• Average height of young Spaniards (in Spanish)
• Body height of mummified pharaohs supports historical suggestions of sibling marriages, AJPA DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22728 [1]

External links

• CDC National Center for Health Statistics: Growth Charts of American Percentiles
• fao.org, Body Weights and Heights by Countries (given in percentiles)
• The Height Gap, Article discussing differences in height around the world
• Tallest in the World: Native Americans of the Great Plains in the Nineteenth Century
• European Heights in the Early eighteenth Century
• Spatial Convergence in Height in East-Central Europe, 1890–1910
• The Biological Standard of Living in Europe During the Last Two Millennia
• HEALTH AND NUTRITION IN THE PREINDUSTRIAL ERA: INSIGHTS FROM A MILLENNIUM OF AVERAGE HEIGHTS IN NORTHERN EUROPE
• Our World In Data – Human Height – Visualizations of how human height around the world has changed historically (by Max Roser). Charts for all countries, world maps, and links to more data sources.
• What Has Happened to the Quality of Life in the Advanced Industrialized Nations?