The average adult man in the world is 169.0 cm (5′6.5″) and the average adult woman 156.7 cm (5′1.7″). These are the averages of 200 countries weighted by each country's adult population — 2.9 billion men and 3 billion women. The median is almost identical: 168.9 cm for men, 156.7 cm for women.
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What counts as tall worldwide?
| Man's height | Share of the world's men who are taller |
|---|---|
| 170 cm (5′7″) | 45% |
| 175 cm (5′9″) | 24% |
| 180 cm (5′11″) | 10% |
| 185 cm (6′1″) | 3.2% |
| 190 cm (6′3″) | 0.7% |
| Woman's height | Share of the world's women who are taller |
|---|---|
| 160 cm (5′3″) | 34% |
| 165 cm (5′5″) | 15% |
| 170 cm (5′7″) | 4.5% |
| 175 cm (5′9″) | 1% |
The global "tallest 10%" starts at 180 cm for men and 167 cm for women; the "tallest 1%" at 189 cm and 175 cm.
The countries that set the average
| Country | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| China | 169.6 cm | 157.8 cm |
| India | 164.1 cm | 152.4 cm |
| United States | 175.4 cm | 161.6 cm |
| Indonesia | 163.3 cm | 151.2 cm |
| Brazil | 172.3 cm | 159.0 cm |
| Pakistan | 166.8 cm | 154.0 cm |
| Nigeria | 170.4 cm | 157.6 cm |
| Bangladesh | 162.9 cm | 150.8 cm |
| Russia | 175.2 cm | 162.4 cm |
| Japan | 169.7 cm | 155.8 cm |
China alone sits right at the world average; India, Indonesia and Bangladesh pull it down, the US and Russia pull it up. The average American man (175.4 cm) is taller than about three quarters of the world's men.
Method: each country's distribution is built cohort by cohort from NCD-RisC age-19 height series, weighted with UN WPP 2024 age structure, with mild shrinkage after 40. The world distribution is a population-weighted mixture of country distributions, not a single bell curve. Details: heightscore.com/en/methodology