Average Height by Country
The Netherlands leads at 184 cm (6′0″) for men and 170 cm (5′7″) for women. The global average is roughly 171 cm (5′7″) for men and 159 cm (5′2.5″) for women, based on NCD-RisC pooled estimates. Explore the full ranking of 205 countries below.
Where do I fit?
| 1 | Netherlands | 6'0" | 5'7" |
| 2 | Denmark | 6'0" | 5'6" |
| 3 | Norway | 6'0" | 5'6" |
| 4 | Iceland | 5'11" | 5'6" |
| 5 | Sweden | 5'11" | 5'6" |
| 6 | Czechia | 5'11" | 5'6" |
| 7 | Lithuania | 5'11" | 5'6" |
| 8 | Estonia | 5'11" | 5'6" |
| 9 | Germany | 5'11" | 5'5" |
| 10 | Finland | 5'11" | 5'5" |
| 11 | Croatia | 5'11" | 5'5" |
| 12 | Slovenia | 5'11" | 5'5" |
| 13 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 5'11" | 5'5" |
| 14 | Austria | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 15 | Latvia | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 16 | Liechtenstein | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 17 | Australia | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 18 | Ireland | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 19 | Switzerland | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 20 | Belgium | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 21 | Slovakia | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 22 | Montenegro | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 23 | Luxembourg | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 24 | Canada | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 25 | France | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 26 | Poland | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 27 | Serbia | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 28 | Belarus | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 29 | Monaco | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 30 | United Kingdom | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 31 | Greece | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 32 | New Zealand | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 33 | Samoa | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 34 | Ukraine | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 35 | Russia | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 36 | Hungary | 5'10" | 5'5" |
| 37 | Italy | 5'10" | 5'4" |
| 38 | North Macedonia | 5'10" | 5'4" |
| 39 | Israel | 5'10" | 5'4" |
| 40 | Cyprus | 5'10" | 5'4" |
| 41 | San Marino | 5'10" | 5'4" |
| 42 | Tonga | 5'9" | 5'5" |
| 43 | French Polynesia | 5'9" | 5'5" |
| 44 | Kosovo | 5'9" | 5'5" |
| 45 | Spain | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 46 | Romania | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 47 | Bulgaria | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 48 | Lebanon | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 49 | Georgia | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 50 | Andorra | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 51 | Vatican City | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 52 | Bermuda | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 53 | Moldova | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 54 | Kazakhstan | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 55 | Trinidad and Tobago | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 56 | Malta | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 57 | Barbados | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 58 | Antigua and Barbuda | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 59 | U.S. Virgin Islands | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 60 | South Korea | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 61 | United States | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 62 | Argentina | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 63 | Libya | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 64 | Cayman Islands | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 65 | Curaçao | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 66 | Turkey | 5'9" | 5'3" |
| 67 | Senegal | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 68 | Jamaica | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 69 | Bahamas | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 70 | Fiji | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 71 | South Sudan | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 72 | Portugal | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 73 | Albania | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 74 | Taiwan | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 75 | Algeria | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 76 | Uruguay | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 77 | Azerbaijan | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 78 | Grenada | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 79 | Saint Lucia | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 80 | Dominica | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 81 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 82 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 83 | New Caledonia | 5'9" | 5'4" |
| 84 | Iran | 5'9" | 5'3" |
| 85 | Tunisia | 5'9" | 5'3" |
| 86 | Armenia | 5'9" | 5'3" |
| 87 | Aruba | 5'9" | 5'3" |
| 88 | United Arab Emirates | 5'9" | 5'3" |
| 89 | Kuwait | 5'9" | 5'3" |
| 90 | Saudi Arabia | 5'9" | 5'3" |
| 91 | Brazil | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 92 | Uzbekistan | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 93 | Suriname | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 94 | Puerto Rico | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 95 | Qatar | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 96 | Palestine | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 97 | Hong Kong | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 98 | Bahrain | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 99 | Cape Verde | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 100 | China | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 101 | Singapore | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 102 | Paraguay | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 103 | Cuba | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 104 | Guyana | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 105 | Seychelles | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 106 | Colombia | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 107 | Chile | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 108 | Jordan | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 109 | Morocco | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 110 | Venezuela | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 111 | Dominican Republic | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 112 | Costa Rica | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 113 | Syria | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 114 | Macau | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 115 | Mauritius | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 116 | Guam | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| 117 | Japan | 5'8" | 5'2" |
| 118 | Cameroon | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 119 | Botswana | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 120 | Mali | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 121 | Burkina Faso | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 122 | Chad | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 123 | Sudan | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 124 | Egypt | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 125 | Iraq | 5'7" | 5'2" |
| 126 | Oman | 5'7" | 5'2" |
| 127 | Kenya | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 128 | Ivory Coast | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 129 | Zimbabwe | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 130 | Namibia | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 131 | Somalia | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 132 | Niger | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 133 | Mauritania | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 134 | Gambia | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 135 | Mongolia | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 136 | Ghana | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 137 | Benin | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 138 | Togo | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 139 | Gabon | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 140 | Djibouti | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 141 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 142 | Equatorial Guinea | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 143 | Thailand | 5'7" | 5'2" |
| 144 | Haiti | 5'7" | 5'2" |
| 145 | Mexico | 5'7" | 5'2" |
| 146 | North Korea | 5'7" | 5'2" |
| 147 | Panama | 5'7" | 5'2" |
| 148 | South Africa | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 149 | Guinea | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 150 | Eswatini | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 151 | Guinea-Bissau | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 152 | Kiribati | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 153 | Tuvalu | 5'7" | 5'3" |
| 154 | Congo | 5'7" | 5'2" |
| 155 | Belize | 5'7" | 5'2" |
| 156 | Angola | 5'6" | 5'2" |
| 157 | Zambia | 5'6" | 5'2" |
| 158 | Sierra Leone | 5'6" | 5'2" |
| 159 | Liberia | 5'6" | 5'2" |
| 160 | Lesotho | 5'6" | 5'2" |
| 161 | Central African Republic | 5'6" | 5'2" |
| 162 | Vanuatu | 5'6" | 5'2" |
| 163 | Micronesia | 5'6" | 5'2" |
| 164 | Palau | 5'6" | 5'2" |
| 165 | Nauru | 5'6" | 5'2" |
| 166 | Marshall Islands | 5'6" | 5'2" |
| 167 | DR Congo | 5'6" | 5'2" |
| 168 | Eritrea | 5'6" | 5'2" |
| 169 | Comoros | 5'6" | 5'2" |
| 170 | Vietnam | 5'6" | 5'1" |
| 171 | Malaysia | 5'6" | 5'1" |
| 172 | Brunei | 5'6" | 5'1" |
| 173 | Maldives | 5'6" | 5'1" |
| 174 | Peru | 5'6" | 5'1" |
| 175 | Sri Lanka | 5'6" | 5'1" |
| 176 | Afghanistan | 5'6" | 5'1" |
| 177 | Ecuador | 5'6" | 5'1" |
| 178 | El Salvador | 5'6" | 5'1" |
| 179 | Nicaragua | 5'6" | 5'1" |
| 180 | Nigeria | 5'6" | 5'2" |
| 181 | Ethiopia | 5'6" | 5'2" |
| 182 | Tanzania | 5'6" | 5'2" |
| 183 | Uganda | 5'6" | 5'2" |
| 184 | Rwanda | 5'6" | 5'2" |
| 185 | India | 5'6" | 5'1" |
| 186 | Pakistan | 5'6" | 5'1" |
| 187 | Honduras | 5'6" | 5'1" |
| 188 | Bolivia | 5'6" | 5'0" |
| 189 | Mozambique | 5'5" | 5'1" |
| 190 | Malawi | 5'5" | 5'1" |
| 191 | Burundi | 5'5" | 5'1" |
| 192 | Indonesia | 5'5" | 5'1" |
| 193 | Solomon Islands | 5'5" | 5'1" |
| 194 | Myanmar | 5'5" | 5'1" |
| 195 | Bhutan | 5'5" | 5'1" |
| 196 | Madagascar | 5'5" | 5'1" |
| 197 | Cambodia | 5'5" | 5'0" |
| 198 | Philippines | 5'5" | 5'0" |
| 199 | Bangladesh | 5'5" | 5'0" |
| 200 | Yemen | 5'5" | 5'0" |
| 201 | Nepal | 5'5" | 5'0" |
| 202 | Guatemala | 5'5" | 4'11" |
| 203 | Papua New Guinea | 5'4" | 5'1" |
| 204 | Laos | 5'4" | 5'0" |
| 205 | East Timor | 5'4" | 5'0" |
Data: NCD-RisC pooled estimates and national health surveys. Adult averages (ages 18+), rounded to nearest whole centimeter. Full source list
How Country Averages Are Measured
The figures in the table above come primarily from the NCD-RisC (Non-Communicable Diseases Risk Factor Collaboration) project, which pools nationally representative health surveys worldwide. Each country's value represents the arithmetic mean of measured standing height for adults aged 18 and older, typically recorded barefoot by trained health staff.
Some countries contribute their own large-scale surveys—such as CDC/NHANES in the United States, KNHANES in South Korea, and Riskesdas in Indonesia—while others rely on cluster-sampled demographic surveys. Where multiple surveys exist, the NCD-RisC pooled estimate is used for consistency.
Key Patterns in the Data
Northwestern European countries (Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden) dominate the tallest rankings. Genetics play a major role, but nutrition quality—especially dairy and protein intake during childhood—also correlates strongly with population height. East and Southeast Asian averages, while lower than European ones, have risen sharply in recent decades as economies developed.
The largest male-to-female height gaps (13–14 cm) appear across most populations, reflecting hormonal differences in pubertal growth timing. For a deeper analysis of sex-specific percentiles using US CDC data, see our height statistics page.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What country has the tallest average height?
- The Netherlands has the tallest average male height at approximately 184 cm (6’0″). Dutch men and women have led global height rankings for decades, attributed to genetics, dairy-rich diets, and strong public health infrastructure.
- What is the global average height?
- The global mean adult height is approximately 171 cm (5’7″) for men and 159 cm (5’2.5″) for women, based on NCD-RisC pooled estimates covering hundreds of national studies.
- Why do average heights differ so much between countries?
- Population height is about 80% genetic and 20% environmental. The environmental share—childhood nutrition, disease burden, healthcare quality, and socioeconomic conditions—explains most of the gap between wealthy and lower-income nations.
- Where does the US rank in average height?
- American men average about 175 cm (5’9″) and women 162 cm (5’4″) per CDC/NHANES data. The US ranks above the global average but below most Northwestern European countries.
- Are people getting taller over time?
- In most countries, yes—average heights have increased over the past century due to improvements in nutrition and healthcare. However, growth has plateaued in some high-income nations like the US and Northern Europe.
Find your height percentile
Compare your height to US adults using our free CDC/NHANES percentile calculator—with charts, comparisons, and male/female breakdowns.
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