The Netherlands has the tallest people in the world, with 19-year-old men averaging an estimated 183.8 cm (6 ft 0.4 in) and women 170.4 cm (5 ft 7.1 in). That puts it first in the ranking of average height by country for both sexes, ahead of Montenegro, Estonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland among the men.
The ranking below uses the latest edition of the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration’s national estimates, which give the mean height of 19-year-olds in 2019 for 200 countries and territories. These are young adults, not whole-population averages, and every figure is a modelled estimate with its own margin of error. Europe fills the whole top 15 for men, while the gap to the shortest country is 23.7 cm.
Tallest Countries by Average Height, Men and Women, All 10
| # | Country | Men (cm) | Men (ft/in) | Women (cm) | Women (ft/in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | 183.8 | 6 ft 0.4 in | 170.4 | 5 ft 7.1 in |
| 2 | Montenegro | 183.3 | 6 ft 0.2 in | 170.0 | 5 ft 6.9 in |
| 3 | Estonia | 182.8 | 6 ft 0.0 in | 168.7 | 5 ft 6.4 in |
| 4 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 182.5 | 5 ft 11.9 in | 167.5 | 5 ft 5.9 in |
| 5 | Iceland | 182.1 | 5 ft 11.7 in | 168.9 | 5 ft 6.5 in |
| 6 | Denmark | 181.9 | 5 ft 11.6 in | 169.5 | 5 ft 6.7 in |
| 7 | Czech Republic | 181.2 | 5 ft 11.3 in | 168.0 | 5 ft 6.1 in |
| 8 | Latvia | 181.2 | 5 ft 11.3 in | 168.8 | 5 ft 6.5 in |
| 9 | Slovakia | 181.0 | 5 ft 11.3 in | 167.1 | 5 ft 5.8 in |
| 10 | Slovenia | 181.0 | 5 ft 11.3 in | 167.2 | 5 ft 5.8 in |
The order follows each country’s unrounded men’s mean, so Czech Republic and Latvia both show 181.2 cm, and Slovakia and Slovenia both show 181.0 cm.
Average Height by Country, Ranked
1. Netherlands: The Tallest Men and Women on Earth
Men: 183.8 cm (6 ft 0.4 in) · Women: 170.4 cm (5 ft 7.1 in) · Men in 1985: 180.6 cm · Men’s 95% interval: 181.5 to 186.2 cm
The Netherlands ranks first of 200 countries for men and first for women. Its 19-year-old men average 183.8 cm, with a 95% interval running from 181.5 to 186.2 cm, and its women average 170.4 cm, with an interval of 168.3 to 172.4 cm.
In 1985 Dutch men were already second in the world at 180.6 cm, behind Estonia. They gained 3.2 cm over the next 34 years while Estonia gained less, which moved the Netherlands to the top of the table.
2. Montenegro: The Biggest Climb in the Top Ten
Men: 183.3 cm (6 ft 0.2 in) · Women: 170.0 cm (5 ft 6.9 in) · Men in 1985: 177.8 cm · Gain since 1985: 5.5 cm
Montenegro is second for both men and women. Its 19-year-old men average 183.3 cm, inside an interval of 181.7 to 184.9 cm, and its women average 170.0 cm, with an interval of 168.3 to 171.8 cm.
No country in the top ten has risen further. Montenegrin men stood at 177.8 cm in 1985, which ranked 17th of 200, and gained 5.5 cm to reach second place. The Netherlands is 0.5 cm ahead on the point estimate, a gap that sits well inside both countries’ intervals.
3. Estonia: First in 1985, Still in the Top Three
Men: 182.8 cm (6 ft 0.0 in) · Women: 168.7 cm (5 ft 6.4 in) · Men in 1985: 181.0 cm · Women’s rank: 6th of 200
Estonian men average 182.8 cm, with an interval of 180.9 to 184.7 cm, which places them third of 200. Estonian women average 168.7 cm and rank sixth, so the country is tall across both sexes.
Estonia held the top spot for men in 1985 at 181.0 cm. It has since gained only 1.8 cm, one of the smallest rises among the leaders, and that slow growth is why the Netherlands and Montenegro moved ahead.
4. Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Wide Margin on a Steady Rank
Men: 182.5 cm (5 ft 11.9 in) · Women: 167.5 cm (5 ft 5.9 in) · Men in 1985: 179.7 cm · Men’s interval: 179.4 to 185.7 cm
Bosnia and Herzegovina is fourth for men at 182.5 cm. Its interval of 179.4 to 185.7 cm is more than 6 cm wide, so the estimate carries more uncertainty than those for the Netherlands or Denmark.
The country was also fourth in 1985, when men averaged 179.7 cm, and has added 2.7 cm since. Women average 167.5 cm, which ranks 11th of 200.
5. Iceland: Tall Men and Women From a Small Population
Men: 182.1 cm (5 ft 11.7 in) · Women: 168.9 cm (5 ft 6.5 in) · Men in 1985: 180.5 cm · Women’s rank: 4th of 200
Iceland’s men average 182.1 cm, fifth of 200, and its women average 168.9 cm, fourth. The men’s interval is wide, from 178.4 to 185.8 cm, so the estimate is far less firm than Denmark’s.
Iceland ranked third for men in 1985 at 180.5 cm. A gain of 1.6 cm in 34 years is modest, so the country has slipped two places while remaining among the tallest.
6. Denmark: A Firm Estimate and a Big Climb
Men: 181.9 cm (5 ft 11.6 in) · Women: 169.5 cm (5 ft 6.7 in) · Men in 1985: 177.9 cm · Gain since 1985: 4.0 cm
Danish men average 181.9 cm and rank sixth. The interval is only 181.1 to 182.7 cm, a width under 2 cm, which makes this one of the firmest estimates in the top ten.
Danish women average 169.5 cm and rank third of 200, ahead of Iceland, Latvia and Estonia. Men climbed from 16th place in 1985, when they averaged 177.9 cm, by adding 4.0 cm.
7. Czech Republic: Tall Men and Women in Central Europe
Men: 181.2 cm (5 ft 11.3 in) · Women: 168.0 cm (5 ft 6.1 in) · Men in 1985: 179.6 cm · Women’s rank: 8th of 200
The Czech Republic ranks seventh for men at 181.2 cm, with an interval of 179.5 to 182.9 cm. Its women average 168.0 cm and rank eighth, so the men’s and women’s ranks are close.
Czech men were sixth in 1985 at 179.6 cm and have gained 1.6 cm since. The country’s men differ from Latvia’s by a fraction of a millimetre on the unrounded mean, far too small to separate them in practice.
8. Latvia: Tall Women and an Uncertain Men’s Estimate
Men: 181.2 cm (5 ft 11.3 in) · Women: 168.8 cm (5 ft 6.5 in) · Men in 1985: 179.7 cm · Men’s interval: 177.5 to 184.9 cm
Latvian men average 181.2 cm and rank eighth, but the interval stretches from 177.5 to 184.9 cm, a spread of more than 7 cm. That ties Iceland for the widest men’s interval in the top ten.
Latvian women do better, with a mean of 168.8 cm and a rank of fifth of 200. Men gained just 1.5 cm between 1985 and 2019, slipping from fifth place to eighth.
9. Slovakia: Climbing Two Places Since 1985
Men: 181.0 cm (5 ft 11.3 in) · Women: 167.1 cm (5 ft 5.8 in) · Men in 1985: 178.4 cm · Gain since 1985: 2.6 cm
Slovak men average 181.0 cm, ninth of 200, with an interval of 179.2 to 182.8 cm. Slovak women average 167.1 cm and rank 14th.
In 1985 the men stood at 178.4 cm and ranked 11th. A gain of 2.6 cm lifted them two places.
10. Slovenia: The Tightest Estimate in the Table
Men: 181.0 cm (5 ft 11.3 in) · Women: 167.2 cm (5 ft 5.8 in) · Men in 1985: 178.1 cm · Men’s interval: 180.4 to 181.6 cm
Slovenian men average 181.0 cm and rank tenth, with the narrowest interval of any country in the top ten at 180.4 to 181.6 cm. The women average 167.2 cm and rank 13th of 200.
Slovenia ranked 12th for men in 1985 at 178.1 cm and has added 2.8 cm since. Ukraine, at 181.0 cm, sits directly below on the unrounded mean and rounds to the same figure, so the cut-off between tenth and eleventh place is a matter of hundredths of a centimetre.
How Height Has Changed Since 1985 in the Tallest Countries
The 1985 comparison shows that rank at the top has been far from fixed. Estonia led the men’s table at 181.0 cm, the Netherlands was second at 180.6 cm, and Iceland third at 180.5 cm. By 2019 the Netherlands led at 183.8 cm while Estonia was third and Iceland fifth.
Montenegro and Denmark made the largest moves. Montenegro rose from 17th to second, gaining 5.5 cm, and Denmark rose from 16th to sixth, gaining 4.0 cm.
The fastest risers in the whole data set sit outside Europe. Young men in China gained 8.0 cm between 1985 and 2019, followed by Saudi Arabia at 7.7 cm and South Korea and the Maldives at 6.8 cm each.
Where the US, UK, Germany, China and India Land
The United States ranks 47th of 200 for men, at 176.9 cm (5 ft 9.6 in), and 58th for women, at 163.3 cm (5 ft 4.3 in). In 1985 American men were 36th at 175.7 cm, and a gain of only 1.2 cm let other countries pass them.
The United Kingdom ranks 39th for men at 178.2 cm (5 ft 10.2 in) and 49th for women at 163.9 cm (5 ft 4.5 in). Germany is 19th for men at 180.3 cm (5 ft 11.0 in) and 25th for women at 166.2 cm (5 ft 5.4 in).
China ranks 65th for men at 175.7 cm (5 ft 9.2 in) and 54th for women at 163.5 cm (5 ft 4.4 in). India ranks 180th for men at 166.5 cm (5 ft 5.6 in) and 182nd for women at 155.2 cm (5 ft 1.1 in), though Indian men have still added 4.6 cm since 1985, when they ranked 195th.
The Shortest Countries and the 23.7 cm Spread
The gap between the top and bottom of the table is large. Men in Timor-Leste average 160.1 cm (5 ft 3.0 in), which is 23.7 cm below the Netherlands and ranks 200th of 200. Laos follows at 162.8 cm, with the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea both at 163.1 cm and Mozambique at 164.3 cm.
Among women, Guatemala is shortest at 150.9 cm, ahead of Bangladesh and Nepal at 152.4 cm each, Timor-Leste at 152.7 cm and Madagascar at 153.1 cm.
What a 19-Year-Old Mean and a 95% Interval Actually Measure
Each figure is the estimated mean height of 19-year-olds in 2019, taken from the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration’s Lancet 2020 edition, which is the latest on its height download page. The data cover 200 countries and territories, pool 2,181 population-based studies and 65 million participants, and feed a Bayesian hierarchical model that produces an estimate for every country and year.
The model gives a country without a recent survey a modelled estimate rather than a blank, and that estimate comes with a 95% interval. Intervals for the tallest countries run from under 2 cm wide for Denmark to over 7 cm for Latvia. Neighbouring ranks overlap, so the Netherlands interval of 181.5 to 186.2 cm reaches well below countries ranked far under it.
The figures describe 19-year-olds, not all adults, so they should not be read as a whole-population mean for any country.
How to Compare Heights Between Countries Without Over-Reading the Rank
Start with the interval rather than the rank. A gap of 0.3 cm between two countries, such as Slovakia and Slovenia, is much smaller than the uncertainty around either figure, so treat them as level.
Compare the same age group and the same year. A 19-year-old figure can sit several centimetres above a national all-adult average, so it should not be set against a survey of adults of all ages.
Check the sex split as well. Denmark, Iceland and Latvia rank higher for women (3rd, 4th and 5th) than for men (6th, 5th and 8th), while Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia and Slovenia rank lower. Height is a signal of childhood nutrition and health, and the same country can score well on one sex and less well on the other. Life expectancy follows its own pattern, which you can see in the life expectancy by country list, and national safety scores are covered in the safest countries in the world ranking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country has the tallest men?
The Netherlands, at an estimated 183.8 cm (about 6 ft 0.4 in) for 19-year-old men in 2019. Montenegro follows at 183.3 cm and Estonia at 182.8 cm, though the intervals of all three overlap.
Which country has the tallest women?
The Netherlands again, at 170.4 cm (about 5 ft 7.1 in). Montenegro is second at 170.0 cm and Denmark third at 169.5 cm.
How tall is the average American?
US men aged 19 averaged an estimated 176.9 cm (about 5 ft 9.6 in) in 2019, which ranks 47th of 200. US women averaged 163.3 cm (about 5 ft 4.3 in), ranking 58th.
Are people getting taller?
In most countries they are. Between 1985 and 2019 men gained 8.0 cm in China, 6.8 cm in South Korea and 5.5 cm in Montenegro, but only 1.2 cm in the United States, and men in the Solomon Islands lost 2.6 cm.
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