Numbers & money · Free
Average height by country
How tall is the average man or woman in your country? Compare the mean height of 19-year-olds in 199 countries – the latest NCD-RisC estimates – side by side and to scale, and add yourself to see where you stand. Free, private, in feet or centimeters.
- No account
- Runs on your device
- Phone & desktop
Compare average heights
Stays on this device
Add a person or pick anything from the library – it appears here, true to scale.
Hold Ctrl (⌘ on Mac) and scroll to zoom – or use + and −
Private by design. Names and heights stay in your browser. A shared link keeps the line-up after the # of the address – a part browsers never send to a server.
Every number has a source. Each figure links the page its size comes from: national surveys, museums, zoos, standards bodies and official landmark data. The full list is on the sources page.
The tallest and the shortest countries
The world average for 19-year-olds in 2019 was 5 ft 7 in / 170.8 cm for young men and 5 ft 2 in / 158.6 cm for young women. The ranking spans more than 20 centimeters: the tallest young men live in Netherlands (6 ft / 183.8 cm), the shortest in Timor-Leste (5 ft 3 in / 160.1 cm).
| Tallest – men | Height | Tallest – women | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 6 ft / 183.8 cm | Netherlands | 5 ft 7 in / 170.4 cm |
| Montenegro | 6 ft / 183.3 cm | Montenegro | 5 ft 7 in / 170 cm |
| Estonia | 6 ft / 182.8 cm | Denmark | 5 ft 7 in / 169.5 cm |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | 6 ft / 182.5 cm | Iceland | 5 ft 6 in / 168.9 cm |
| Iceland | 6 ft / 182.1 cm | Latvia | 5 ft 6 in / 168.8 cm |
| Denmark | 6 ft / 181.9 cm | Estonia | 5 ft 6 in / 168.7 cm |
| Czechia | 5 ft 11 in / 181.2 cm | Serbia | 5 ft 6 in / 168.3 cm |
| Latvia | 5 ft 11 in / 181.2 cm | Czechia | 5 ft 6 in / 168 cm |
| Slovakia | 5 ft 11 in / 181 cm | American Samoa | 5 ft 6 in / 167.6 cm |
| Slovenia | 5 ft 11 in / 181 cm | Lithuania | 5 ft 6 in / 167.6 cm |
| Shortest – men | Height | Shortest – women | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timor-Leste | 5 ft 3 in / 160.1 cm | Guatemala | 4 ft 11 in / 150.9 cm |
| Laos | 5 ft 4 in / 162.8 cm | Nepal | 5 ft / 152.4 cm |
| Solomon Islands | 5 ft 4 in / 163.1 cm | Bangladesh | 5 ft / 152.4 cm |
| Papua New Guinea | 5 ft 4 in / 163.1 cm | Timor-Leste | 5 ft / 152.7 cm |
| Mozambique | 5 ft 5 in / 164.3 cm | Madagascar | 5 ft / 153.1 cm |
Heights have changed fast. Compared with 19-year-olds in 1985, young men grew most in China (+3.2 in / 8.1 cm), Saudi Arabia (+3 in / 7.7 cm), Maldives (+2.7 in / 6.8 cm) – better food and health in childhood show up as height.
How to use Height Studio
Add yourself and others
Open “Add person”, type a name and a height – 5′9″, 69 in, 175 or 1.75 m all work – and pick a figure, a build and a color. Children, teens and older people have their own silhouettes. “Add to comparison” puts the person into the chart.
Pick from the library
In “Library”, type what you are looking for – a country, an animal, a building – or open a category. Every row shows the size and what was measured, and “Order” lists the figures A–Z or “Tallest first”.
Measure and compare
Tap a figure to draw its measuring line across the chart. A card shows how much taller or shorter everyone else is and, for big things, how many of you it would take to reach the top.
Compare by length
“Length” lines everything up by its length instead: ships, planes, trains, cars, whales and dinosaurs side by side from a start line, with people and rockets lying down. “Height” switches back.
Zoom, move and go full screen
Pinch or use + and − to zoom, drag to move along the line-up, and “Fit all” brings everything back into view. “Full screen” gives the chart the whole screen; on a phone, turn it sideways for the widest view.
Share or save
“Share link” copies a link with the whole comparison and “Save PNG” downloads it as a picture. In “Line-up” you can rename, recolor, reorder or remove every figure.
Popular comparisons
Tap one to load it into the chart above, then add yourself next to it.
- Men: Netherlands vs. Timor-Leste – 6 ft / 183.8 cm against 5 ft 3 in / 160.1 cm: a difference of 9.3 in / 23.7 cm.
- Women: Netherlands vs. Guatemala – 5 ft 7 in / 170.4 cm against 4 ft 11 in / 150.9 cm: a difference of 7.7 in / 19.5 cm.
- Men: United Kingdom vs. United States – 5 ft 10 in / 178.2 cm against 5 ft 10 in / 176.9 cm: a difference of 0.5 in / 1.3 cm.
- Women: United Kingdom vs. United States – 5 ft 5 in / 163.9 cm against 5 ft 4 in / 163.3 cm: a difference of 0.2 in / 6 mm.
- United States (men) vs. United States (women) – 5 ft 10 in / 176.9 cm against 5 ft 4 in / 163.3 cm: a difference of 5.4 in / 13.6 cm.
- Men: China vs. Japan – 5 ft 9 in / 175.7 cm against 5 ft 8 in / 172.1 cm: a difference of 1.4 in / 3.6 cm.
- Women: Brazil vs. India – 5 ft 4 in / 162.4 cm against 5 ft 1 in / 155.2 cm: a difference of 2.8 in / 7.2 cm.
Tips for better comparisons
- Measure in the morning, barefoot. You are tallest right after waking up and lose a little height over the day. The guide How to measure your height at home shows an exact method with a wall and a book.
- Compare like with like. Country averages are 19-year-olds, children show the WHO median for their age, and four-legged animals are measured at the shoulder. Tap a figure to see exactly where its number sits.
- Start from an idea. “Ideas to try” below the chart loads ready line-ups – family, dinosaurs, the tallest buildings, the solar system – that you can change freely.
- Stand next to your country. Search for your country in “Library” and add its average man or woman.
- No account needed. A shared link holds the whole comparison in its address – bookmark it to keep it.
Feet, inches and centimeters
One inch is exactly 2.54 centimeters and a foot is 12 inches (30.48 cm). To turn centimeters into feet and inches, divide by 2.54, then take out whole groups of 12: 175 cm ÷ 2.54 = 68.9 in, which is 5 ft 8.9 in – about 5′9″. The chart rounds to the nearest inch; the line-up keeps the exact value.
| Centimeters | Feet and inches | Inches |
|---|---|---|
| 150 cm | 4′ 11″ | 59.1 in |
| 155 cm | 5′ 1″ | 61 in |
| 160 cm | 5′ 3″ | 63 in |
| 165 cm | 5′ 5″ | 65 in |
| 170 cm | 5′ 7″ | 66.9 in |
| 175 cm | 5′ 9″ | 68.9 in |
| 180 cm | 5′ 11″ | 70.9 in |
| 185 cm | 6′ 1″ | 72.8 in |
| 190 cm | 6′ 3″ | 74.8 in |
| 195 cm | 6′ 5″ | 76.8 in |
| 200 cm | 6′ 7″ | 78.7 in |
What exactly is measured
- People stand straight, without shoes. Children show the WHO median for their age; country averages are the mean height of 19-year-olds in 2019, estimated by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration from measured data.
- Four-legged animals are measured at the shoulder, as zoos and breed standards do. The figure stands with its shoulder on that height, so a horse’s head rises above the line.
- Long animals – snakes, whales, sharks and most dinosaurs – are measured nose to tail, so the drawing is scaled by its length. Dinosaur sizes are museum estimates from fossils.
- Buildings use their official height to the architectural top, spires included; mountains their height above sea level. Planets sit on the ground like balls and are drawn by their diameter, and altitudes such as the Kármán line run across the chart.
Where the numbers come from
The figures in the library rest on 277 source pages – nothing is guessed. Typical values are averages or the middle of the range a source gives, so real individuals vary. A few of the main sources by category:
- People & ages: World Health Organization, NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC)
- Famous people: Guinness World Records, NBA.com, Team USA
- Sports: FIBA, Volleyball World, International Journal of Morphology
- Animals: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Animal Diversity Web, National Geographic
- Prehistoric: Natural History Museum, London, Field Museum, Chicago, Guinness World Records
- Tiny world: Animal Diversity Web, The Wildlife Trusts, Royal Horticultural Society
- Objects: The IFAB, FIBA, FIVB
- Vehicles: Lufthansa Group, NASA, SpaceX
- Buildings: CTBUH Skyscraper Center, U.S. National Park Service, Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District
- Nature: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Woodland Trust, Guinness World Records
- Space: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA, NASA/JPL Solar System Dynamics
- Altitudes: FAI, NASA, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
- Countries: NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC)
Every source with its link is on the sources page.
More height comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the tallest people?
In the NCD-RisC data for 19-year-olds in 2019, Netherlands has both the tallest young men (6 ft / 183.8 cm) and the tallest young women (5 ft 7 in / 170.4 cm).
Which country has the shortest people?
The shortest young men are in Timor-Leste (5 ft 3 in / 160.1 cm) and the shortest young women in Guatemala (4 ft 11 in / 150.9 cm), in the same data.
Why does the tool use 19-year-olds?
At 19 almost everyone has reached adult height, and NCD-RisC estimates it for every country in the same way from measured data. It is not the average of all adults: older generations are often a little shorter.
How can I compare my height with someone else’s?
Open “Add person”, enter each name and height in feet and inches or centimeters, and press “Add to comparison”. The chart lines everyone up to scale; tap one person to see the exact difference to the others.
Can I compare lengths instead of heights?
Yes. Switch to “Length” above the chart: ships, planes, trains, cars, sports grounds, whales and dinosaurs line up by their length from one start line, and people lie down so you can count how many fit along a whale or a bus.
How accurate are the sizes in the library?
Each one comes from a named source – a survey, a museum, a zoo, a standard or the building’s owner – and links to it. Animals show a typical adult value, so a real animal can be bigger or smaller.
Does Height Studio work on a phone?
Yes. Drag with one finger to move the chart, pinch to zoom and tap a figure to measure it. Everything runs in the browser, with nothing to install.
Is Height Studio free?
Yes. It is free to use, with no account, no signup and no limit on how many comparisons you make.
