Short answer: in South Africa, a man who is 5′7″ counts as average height, and a woman as tall.
Average height
Men · 58% are shorter
Tall
Women · 97% are shorter
170.2 cm (5′7″)
67 in
58% of adult men in South Africa are shorter than this; 1 in 2.4 men is this tall or taller. The average man is 168.8 cm (5′6″).
97% of adult women in South Africa are shorter than this; 1 in 29.4 women is this tall or taller. The average woman is 158.1 cm (5′2″).
| Group | Average | Difference | Shorter in country | Shorter worldwide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 168.8 cm (5′6″) | +1.4 cm | 58% | 56% |
| Women | 158.1 cm (5′2″) | +12.1 cm | 97% | 96% |
Calculate your rank as a man → Calculate your rank as a woman →
Values are cohort-weighted averages for adults aged 18+, derived from NCD-RisC 2020 and UN population estimates; they do not reflect regional differences within a country. Details: methodology and sources.
What share of adults of the same sex is shorter than this?
| Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 7% | 63% |
| United States | 24% | 90% |
| Brazil | 39% | 94% |
| China | 53% | 96% |
| Pakistan | 69% | 99.3% |
| India | 80% | 99.5% |
| Indonesia | 83% | 99.7% |
| Timor-Leste | 94% | 99.8% |
5′4″ 5′5″ 5′6″ 5′8″ 5′9″ 5′10″ 170 cm