Ranked: The countries with the tallest people in the world
Height varies a lot around the world, but some countries have a significant lead.
Medical data from 2019 showed the average height of 25 of the world's tallest countries.
The data skews heavily towards nations in Europe.
Both the world's tallest man and woman clocks are from Turkey. Sultan Kösen is 251 cm (8 feet 3 inches) tall while Rumeysa Gelgi is 215.16 cm (7 feet 0.7 inches) tall.
But despite their commanding size, their compatriots don't quite make the list of countries with the tallest people on average.
Insider used average height data from a medical database run by NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, a project linked to Imperial College London, to compile this list. The data was published in 2019 and as of June 2023 is still the latest available.
It lists separate figures for male and female height in each country — we took an average of these two figures to give a rough idea of how tall the average person is in the country, and also listed the separate male and female figures.
Scroll down to see the 25 countries which (literally) came out on top.
25. New Zealand — 171.34 cm (5 feet 7.45 inches)
An average person from New Zealand is 171.34 cm (5 feet 7.45 inches) tall.
The average Kiwi man is 177.73 cm (5 feet and 9.9 inches) tall, while the average woman is 164.94cm (5 feet 4.93 inches) tall.
24. Bulgaria — 171.52 cm (5 feet 7.52 inches)
An average Bulgarian is 171.52 cm (5 feet 7.52 inches) tall.
A Bulgarian man is 178.24 cm (5 feet 10.17 inches) tall on average, while the average Bulgarian woman is 164.79 cm (5 feet 4.9 inches) tall.
22. Montenegro —171.56 cm (5 feet 7.54 inches)
An average Montenegrin is 171.56 cm (5 feet 7.54 inches) tall.
Men in Montenegro are on average 178.27 cm (5 feet 10.18 inches) tall.
Women in Montenegro are on average 164.85 cm (5 feet 4.90 inches) tall.
22. Ireland — 172.02 cm (5 feet 7.72 inches)
The average Irish person is 172.02 cm (5 feet 7.72 inches) tall.
The average Irishman is 178.92 cm (5 feet 10.44 inches) tall.
The average Irishwoman is 165.11 cm (5 feet 5 inches) tall.
21. France — 172.31 cm (5 feet 7.83 inches)
The average person in France is 172.31 cm (5 feet 7.83 inches) tall.
The average French man is 179.73 cm (5 feet 10.76 inches) tall.
The average French woman is 164.88 cm (5 feet 4.91 inches) tall.
20. Belarus — 172.39 cm (5 feet 7.87 inches)
The average person in Belarus is 172.39 cm (5 feet 7.87 inches) tall.
An average Belarusian man is 178.44 cm (5 feet 10.25 inches) tall.
The average Belarusian woman is 166.35 cm (5 feet 5.49 inches) tall.
19. Ukraine — 172.39 cm (5 feet 7.87 inches)
Ukrainians are an average 172.39 cm (5 feet 7.87 inches) tall.
The average Ukrainian man is 178.45 cm (5 feet 10.26 inches) tall, and the average Ukrainian woman is 166.33 cm (5 feet 5.48 inches) tall.
18. Australia — 172.53 cm (5 feet 7.92 inches)
Australians are 172.53 cm (5 feet 7.92 inches) tall on average.
Australian men are 179.20 cm (5 feet 10.55 inches) tall on average.
Australian women are 165.85 cm (5 feet 5.29 inches) tall.
17. Norway — 172.65 cm (5 feet 7.97 inches)
An average Norwegian is 172.65 cm (5 feet 7.97 inches) tall.
Norwegian men average out at 179.74 cm (5 feet 10.76 inches) tall.
The women measure out at 165.56 cm (5 feet 5.18 inches) tall.
16. Sweden — 172.71cm (5 feet 7.99 inches)
Swedish people are an average 172.71 cm (5 feet 7.99 inches) tall.
Swedish men are 179.73 cm (5 feet 10.76 inches) tall on average, while Swedish women are 165.6 cm (5 feet 5.23 inches) tall.
15. Finland — 172.74 cm (5 feet 8 inches)
An average Finn is 172.74 cm (5 feet 8 inches) tall.
Males in Finland are an average 179.59 cm (5 feet 10.70 inches) tall.
Females in Finland are 165.89 cm (5 feet 5.31 inches) tall.
14. Lithuania —172.82 cm (5 feet 8.03 inches)
The average Lithuanian is 172.82c m (5 feet 8.03 inches) tall.
An average Lithuanian man is 179.02 cm (5 feet 10.48 inches) tall.
The average Lithuanian woman is 166.61 cm (5 feet 5.69 inches) tall.
13. Germany — 172.87 cm (5 feet 8.06 inches)
The average German is 172.87 cm (5 feet 8.06 inches) tall on average.
The average German man is 179.88 cm (5 feet 8.81 inches) tall while the average German woman is 165.86 cm (5 feet 5.29 inches) tall.
12. Slovenia — 172.92 cm (5 feet 8.07 inches)
The average Slovenian is 172.92 cm (5 feet 8.07 inches) tall.
The average Slovenian man is 179.80 cm (5 feet 10.78 inches) tall while the average Slovenian woman is 166.05 cm (5 feet 5.37 inches) tall.
11. Croatia — 173.20 cm (5 feet 8.18 inches)
An average Croatian is 173.20 cm (5 feet 8.18 inches) tall.
An average Croatian man is 180.78 cm (5 feet 11.16 inches) tall.
The average Croatian woman is 165.63 cm ( 5 feet 5.20 inches) tall.
10. Iceland — 173.21 cm (5 feet 8.19 inches)
Icelandic people have an average height of 173.21 cm (5 feet 8.19 inches.)
Icelandic women are 165.94 cm (5 feet 5.15 inches) tall on average, while Icelandic men are an average of 180.49 cm (5 feet 11.05 inches) tall.
9. Bosnia and Herzegovina — 173.35 cm (5 feet 8.24 inches)
Bosnians are 173.35 cm (5 feet 8.24 inches) tall on average.
Bosnian men are 180.87 cm (5 feet 11.20 inches) tall on average.
Bosnian women are 165.84 cm (5 feet 5.29 inches) tall on average.
8. Slovakia — 173.48 cm (5 feet 8.29 inches)
Slovakians are 173.48 cm (5 feet 8.29 inches) tall on average.
Slovakian men are 179.50 cm (5 feet 10.66 inches) tall on average, while Slovakian women are 167.46 cm (5 feet 5.92 inches) tall on average.
7. Belgium — 173.59 cm (5 feet 8.34 inches)
Belgians are 173.59 cm (5 feet 8.34 inches) tall on average.
The average Belgian man is 181.69 cm (5 feet 11.53 inches) tall.
The average Belgian woman is 165.49 cm (5 feet 5.15 inches) tall.
6. Serbia — 174.13 cm (5 feet 8.55 inches)
Serbians are 174.13 cm (5 feet 8.55 inches) tall on average.
Serbian men are 180.57 cm (5 feet 11.09 inches) tall on average, while women are 167.69 cm (5 feet 6.01 inches) tall on average.
5. Czech Republic — 174.28cm (5 feet 8.61 inches)
The average Czech measures an average 174.28 cm (5 feet 8.61 inches) tall.
Czech men measure an average of 180.10 cm tall (5 feet 10.9 inches) tall while an average woman measures 168.45 cm (5 feet 6.31 inches) tall.
4. Denmark — 174.29 cm (5 feet 8.61 inches)
The average Dane is 174.29 cm (5 feet 8.61 inches) tall.
The average Danish man is 181.38 cm (5 feet 11.40 inches) tall, while the average woman is 167.21 cm (5 feet 5.83 inches) tall.
3. Estonia — 175.13 cm (5 feet 8.94 inches)
An average Estonian is 175.13 cm (5 feet 8.94 inches) tall.
Estonian males are an average 181.59 cm tall (5 feet 11.49 inches) tall while Estonian females are an average 168.67 cm (5 feet 6.40 inches) tall.
2. Latvia — 175.61 cm (5 feet 9.13 inches)
Latvians are an average of 175.61 cm (5 feet 9.13 inches) tall.
Latvian men are an average of 181.42 cm tall (5 feet 11.42 inches) tall while Latvian women are an average of 169.79 cm (5 feet 6.84 inches) tall.
According to research released by scientists from Imperial College London in 2016, Latvian women are the tallest in the world. The research tracked the height among young adult men and women around the world between 1914 and 2014.
1. The Netherlands — 175.62 cm (5 feet 7.96 inches)
Dutch people are the world's tallest, with an average height of 175.62 cm (5 feet 7.96 inches).
Dutch men are an average 182.53 cm (5 feet 11.86 inches) tall while Dutch women are an average 168.72 cm (5 feet 6.42 inches) tall.
The Netherlands did not always hold the title of tallest nation: a study published by the Royal Society of London in May 2015 found that in the mid-1800s, Dutch men were among the shortest people in Europe.
A popular explanation as to why Dutch people are so tall is that they have a diet rich in meat and dairy products.
Other possible reasons include the country's world-leading healthcare system and excellent social welfare system, experts told the BBC.
"[In the Netherlands] everything is geared towards producing high-quality babies that then don't suffer any of the kinds of things that reduce height," Professor Louise Barrett of the University of Lethbridge, who contributed to the Royal Society of London study, told the BBC.
The world's tallest living man and woman, though, don't hail from any of those countries. Coincidentally, they both come from Turkey.
The world's tallest living man, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is the 251 cm (8 feet 2.5 inches) Turkish giant Sultan Kösen.
Kösen, who is a part-time farmer, told the Guinness Book of World Records that the best thing about being tall was that he could help his mother change a broken light bulb or hang up curtains.
The world's tallest living woman is another Turkish native, Rumeysa Gelgi, who is 215.16 cm (7 feet 0.7 inches) tall, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Rumeysa is so tall due to a very rare genetic condition called Waver Syndrome. She has since become a vocal advocate for the condition.
This article was originally published in June 2019, and was updated in June 2023 to include more information.
Read the original article on Business Insider
