Worldwide, there’s about a 20-centimeter, or 7.8-inch, difference in the average height of a child between the tallest and shortest countries, per a 2020 study reported in The Lancet.
In the Netherlands — ranked as having the tallest population of any country — the average man towers at 6 feet 0.36 inches (183.8 cm). But at the other end of the scale, the average height is considerably lower in many countries.
NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, a project run by Imperial College London, collected health metrics such as height and blood pressure from 1985 to 2019 in every country in the world. Results show that among the top 25 countries with the shortest people, the overwhelming majority were African or Southeast Asian.
Genetics is only part of the answer, Majid Ezzati, who runs the NCD study at Imperial College London, told BBC News in 2016.
“Genes don’t change that fast and they don’t vary that much across the world,” he said. “So changes over time and variations across the world are largely environmental.”
Environmental factors such as poor diet are likely part of the answer, the BBC reported, citing The Lancet analysis. Average heights in several nations, such as Japan, South Korea, and China, have increased in recent years, while in some sub-Saharan African nations, such as Uganda and Sierra Leone, they have decreased.
The NCD lists the mean heights for 19-year-old men and women in each country. Business Insider averaged these two figures to derive a rough idea of the typical height of a person in the country.
See the 25 countries with the shortest populations on average.
25. The average height in Sri Lanka is 5 feet 3.04 inches (160.12 cm).
The average man from Sri Lanka is 5 feet 5.23 inches (165.68 cm) tall.
The average woman from Sri Lanka is 5 feet 0.85 inches (154.56 cm) tall.
24. The average height in Honduras is 5 feet 3.03 inches (160.11 cm).
The average man from Honduras is 5 feet 5.5 inches (166.39 cm) tall.
The average woman from Honduras is 5.056 inches (153.84 cm) tall.
23. The average height in Liberia is 5 feet 2.85 inches (159.66 cm).
The average man from Liberia is 5 feet 4.43 inches (163.66 cm) tall.
The average woman from Liberia is 5 feet 1.28 inches (155.66 cm) tall.
22. The average height in Myanmar is 5 feet 2.8 inches (159.52 cm).
The average man from Myanmar is 5 feet 4.83 inches (164.67 cm) tall.
The average woman from Myanmar is 5 feet 0.77 inches (154.37 cm) tall.
21. The average height in Brunei is 5 feet 2.79 inches (159.49 cm).
The average man from Brunei is 5 feet 4.96 inches (165 cm) tall.
The average woman from Brunei is 5 feet 0.62 inches (153.98 cm) tall.
20. The average height in Bhutan is 5 feet 2.77 inches (159.46 cm).
The average man from Bhutan is 5 feet 5.07 inches (165.3 cm) tall.
The average woman from Bhutan is 5 feet 0.48 inches (153.62 cm) tall.
19. The average height in Mozambique is 5 feet 2.74 inches (159.37 cm).
The average man from Mozambique is 5 feet 4.88 inches (164.79 cm) tall.
The average woman from Mozambique is 5 feet 0.61 inches (153.96 cm) tall.
18. The average height in Solomon Islands is 5 feet 2.7 inches (159.3 cm).
The average man from the Solomon Islands is 5 feet 4.62 inches (164.14 cm) tall.
The average woman from the Solomon Islands is 5 feet 0.79 inches (154.41 cm) tall.
17. The average height in Papua New Guinea is 5 feet 2.68 inches (159.21 cm).
The average man from Papua New Guinea is 5 feet 4.39 inches (163.56 cm) tall.
The average woman from Papua New Guinea is 5 feet 0.97 inches (154.87 cm) tall.
16. The average height in Peru is 5 feet 2.63 inches (159.08 cm).
The average man from Peru is 5 feet 5.05 inches (165.23 cm) tall.
The average woman from Peru is 5 feet 0.21 inches (152.93 cm) tall.
15. The average height in Vietnam is 5 feet 2.6 inches (159.01 cm).
The average man from Vietnam is 5 feet 4.74 inches (164.44 cm) tall.
The average woman from Vietnam is 5 feet 0.46 inches (153.59 cm) tall.
14. The average height in India is 5 feet 2.5 inches (158.76 cm).
The average man from India is 5 feet 4.93 inches (164.94 cm) tall.
The average woman from India is 5 feet 0.07 inches (152.58 cm) tall.
13. The average height in Rwanda is 5 feet 2.49 inches (158.73 cm).
The average man from Rwanda is 5 feet 4.04 inches (162.67 cm) tall.
The average woman from Rwanda is 5 feet 2.49 inches (158.73 cm) tall.
12. The average height in Malawi is 5 feet 2.32 inches (158.31 cm).
The average man from Malawi is 5 feet 3.86 inches (162.22 cm) tall.
The average woman from Malawi is 5 feet 0.78 inches (154.4 cm) tall.
11. The average height in Indonesia is 5 feet 2.27 inches (158.17 cm).
The average man from Indonesia is 5 feet 4.39 inches (163.55 cm) tall.
The average woman from Indonesia is 5 feet 0.15 inches (152.79 cm) tall.
10. The average height in Cambodia is 5 feet 2.24 inches (158.11 cm).
The average man from Cambodia is 5 feet 4.30 inches (163.32 cm) tall.
The average woman from Cambodia is 5 feet 0.19 inches (152.9 cm) tall.
9. The average height in Bangladesh is 5 feet 1.92 inches (157.29 cm).
The average man from Bangladesh is 5 feet 4.48 inches (163.8 cm) tall.
The average woman from Bangladesh is 4 feet 11.36 inches (150.78 cm) tall.
8. The average height in the Marshall Islands is 5 feet 1.83 inches (157.05 cm).
The average man from the Marshall Islands is 5 feet 4.09 inches (162.8 cm) tall.
The average woman from the Marshall Islands is 4 feet 11.56 inches (151.3 cm) tall.
7. The average height in Yemen is 5 feet 1.78 inches (156.92 cm).
The average man from Yemen is 5 feet 2.94 inches (159.88 cm) tall.
The average woman from Yemen is 5 feet 0.61 inches (153.97 cm) tall.
6. The average height in Nepal is 5 feet 1.64 inches (156.58 cm).
The average man from Nepal is 5 feet 3.9 inches (162.31 cm) tall.
The average woman from Nepal is 4 feet 11.39 inches (150.86 cm) tall.
5. The average height in the Philippines is 5 feet 1.57 inches (156.41 cm).
The average man from the Philippines is 5 feet 4.25 inches (163.22 cm) tall.
The average woman from the Philippines is 4 feet 10.89 inches (149.6 cm) tall.
4. The average height in Guatemala is 5 feet 1.57 inches (156.39 cm).
The average man from Guatemala is 5 feet 4.33 inches (163.4 cm) tall.
The average woman from Guatemala is 4 feet 10.81 inches (149.38 cm) tall.
3. The average height in Madagascar is 5 feet 1.56 inches (156.36 cm).
The average man from Madagascar is 5 feet 3.6 inches (161.54 cm) tall.
The average woman from Madagascar is 4 feet 11.51 inches (151.18 cm) tall.
2. The average height in Laos is 5 feet 1.37 inches (155.89 cm).
The average man from Laos is 5 feet 3.19 inches (160.51 cm) tall.
The average woman from Laos is 4 feet 11.55 inches (151.26 cm) tall.
1. The average height in Timor-Leste is 5 feet 1.28 inches (155.47 cm).
The average man from Timor-Leste is 5 feet 2.9 inches (159.79 cm) tall.
The average woman from Timor-Leste is 4 feet 11.5 inches (151.15cm) tall.
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