Mean Male Height (cm) 1920

Discover mean male height data across 266+ countries. Compare rankings and explore historical trends with interactive maps.

200 data pointsโ€ขโ€ขGlobal Coverageโ€ขOur World in Dataโ€ข

Interactive Map

Complete Data Rankings

Rank
1
Iceland flag
Iceland
175.479
2
Norway flag
Norway
174.857
3
Sweden flag
Sweden
174.64
4
Netherlands flag
Netherlands
173.953
5
United States flag
United States
173.824
6
Denmark flag
Denmark
173.304
7
Estonia flag
Estonia
173.252
8
Canada flag
Canada
172.526
9
Tonga flag
Tonga
172.154
10
Bosnia and Herzegovina flag
Bosnia and Herzegovina
172.073
11
Slovakia flag
Slovakia
171.622
12
Austria flag
Austria
171.564
13
Australia flag
Australia
171.501
14
Latvia flag
Latvia
171.44
15
Croatia flag
Croatia
171.357
16
Czech Republic flag
Czech Republic
171.214
17
Lithuania flag
Lithuania
171.208
18
Finland flag
Finland
171.166
19
French Polynesia flag
French Polynesia
171.036
20
Luxembourg flag
Luxembourg
170.93
21
Germany flag
Germany
170.845
22
Cook Islands flag
Cook Islands
170.833
23
Switzerland flag
Switzerland
170.824
24
American Samoa flag
American Samoa
170.816
25
New Zealand flag
New Zealand
170.757
26
Serbia flag
Serbia
170.629
27
Slovenia flag
Slovenia
170.553
28
United Kingdom flag
United Kingdom
170.404
29
Fiji flag
Fiji
170.194
30
Belarus flag
Belarus
170.039
31
Ukraine flag
Ukraine
170.016
32
Hungary flag
Hungary
169.873
33
North Macedonia flag
North Macedonia
169.863
34
Belgium flag
Belgium
169.85
35
Montenegro flag
Montenegro
169.811
36
Bulgaria flag
Bulgaria
169.81
37
Niue flag
Niue
169.75
38
Ireland flag
Ireland
169.648
39
Samoa flag
Samoa
169.578
40
France flag
France
169.188
41
Tokelau flag
Tokelau
169.146
42
Barbados flag
Barbados
168.944
43
Senegal flag
Senegal
168.863
44
Georgia flag
Georgia
168.746
45
Russia flag
Russia
168.743
46
Grenada flag
Grenada
168.678
47
Dominica flag
Dominica
168.621
48
Kenya flag
Kenya
168.297
49
Trinidad and Tobago flag
Trinidad and Tobago
168.224
50
Botswana flag
Botswana
167.991
51
Poland flag
Poland
167.618
52
Seychelles flag
Seychelles
167.574
53
Romania flag
Romania
167.374
54
Jamaica flag
Jamaica
167.36
55
Mali flag
Mali
167.269
56
Uruguay flag
Uruguay
167.245
57
Chad flag
Chad
167.192
58
Italy flag
Italy
166.935
59
Zimbabwe flag
Zimbabwe
166.892
60
Kiribati flag
Kiribati
166.84
61
Albania flag
Albania
166.811
62
Tuvalu flag
Tuvalu
166.78
63
Republic of Moldova flag
Republic of Moldova
166.776
64
Cabo Verde flag
Cabo Verde
166.644
65
Tunisia flag
Tunisia
166.62
66
South Africa flag
South Africa
166.609
67
Israel flag
Israel
166.597
68
Namibia flag
Namibia
166.572
69
Saint Lucia flag
Saint Lucia
166.558
70
Niger flag
Niger
166.549
71
Azerbaijan flag
Azerbaijan
166.446
72
Eritrea flag
Eritrea
166.135
73
Andorra flag
Andorra
166.119
74
Argentina flag
Argentina
166.033
75
Micronesia (Fed. States of) flag
Micronesia (Fed. States of)
165.988
76
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines flag
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
165.968
77
Suriname flag
Suriname
165.959
78
Bahamas flag
Bahamas
165.947
79
Bermuda flag
Bermuda
165.94
80
Armenia flag
Armenia
165.932
81
Antigua and Barbuda flag
Antigua and Barbuda
165.924
82
Pakistan flag
Pakistan
165.922
83
Cameroon flag
Cameroon
165.921
84
Haiti flag
Haiti
165.901
85
Greece flag
Greece
165.899
86
Turkmenistan flag
Turkmenistan
165.846
87
Guinea flag
Guinea
165.823
88
Nauru flag
Nauru
165.786
89
Libya flag
Libya
165.727
90
Algeria flag
Algeria
165.726
91
Uzbekistan flag
Uzbekistan
165.631
92
Brazil flag
Brazil
165.627
93
Burkina Faso flag
Burkina Faso
165.625
94
Palau flag
Palau
165.536
95
Tajikistan flag
Tajikistan
165.489
96
Cyprus flag
Cyprus
165.468
97
Kazakhstan flag
Kazakhstan
165.385
98
Uganda flag
Uganda
165.374
99
State of Palestine flag
State of Palestine
165.369
100
Paraguay flag
Paraguay
165.256
101
Puerto Rico flag
Puerto Rico
165.215
102
Benin flag
Benin
165.134
103
Guinea-Bissau flag
Guinea-Bissau
165.117
104
Eswatini flag
Eswatini
165.091
105
Cรดte d'Ivoire flag
Cรดte d'Ivoire
165.054
106
Zambia flag
Zambia
165.053
107
Lebanon flag
Lebanon
165.046
108
Turkey flag
Turkey
165.015
109
Gabon flag
Gabon
164.977
110
Kuwait flag
Kuwait
164.973
111
Spain flag
Spain
164.89
112
Saint Kitts and Nevis flag
Saint Kitts and Nevis
164.85
113
Togo flag
Togo
164.848
114
Vanuatu flag
Vanuatu
164.773
115
Angola flag
Angola
164.468
116
Equatorial Guinea flag
Equatorial Guinea
164.464
117
Cuba flag
Cuba
164.433
118
Sao Tome and Principe flag
Sao Tome and Principe
164.406
119
Mauritania flag
Mauritania
164.397
120
China flag
China
164.381
121
Taiwan flag
Taiwan
164.315
122
Congo flag
Congo
164.299
123
Congo, Democratic Republic of the flag
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
164.276
124
Ghana flag
Ghana
164.239
125
Marshall Islands flag
Marshall Islands
164.178
126
Guyana flag
Guyana
164.169
127
Burundi flag
Burundi
164.142
128
Djibouti flag
Djibouti
164.08
129
Sudan flag
Sudan
164.061
130
Dominican Republic flag
Dominican Republic
164.06
131
Somalia flag
Somalia
164.029
132
Kyrgyzstan flag
Kyrgyzstan
164.027
133
Ethiopia flag
Ethiopia
163.986
134
Singapore flag
Singapore
163.955
135
Qatar flag
Qatar
163.917
136
Venezuela flag
Venezuela
163.822
137
United Arab Emirates flag
United Arab Emirates
163.818
138
Jordan flag
Jordan
163.812
139
Syrian Arab Republic flag
Syrian Arab Republic
163.788
140
Iraq flag
Iraq
163.788
141
Egypt flag
Egypt
163.726
142
Morocco flag
Morocco
163.722
143
Chile flag
Chile
163.708
144
Malta flag
Malta
163.703
145
Tanzania flag
Tanzania
163.664
146
Central African Republic flag
Central African Republic
163.617
147
North Korea flag
North Korea
163.381
148
Nigeria flag
Nigeria
163.23
149
South Korea flag
South Korea
163.112
150
Lesotho flag
Lesotho
163.087
151
Rwanda flag
Rwanda
163.038
152
Honduras flag
Honduras
162.995
153
Sierra Leone flag
Sierra Leone
162.911
154
Gambia flag
Gambia
162.902
155
El Salvador flag
El Salvador
162.868
156
Iran flag
Iran
162.867
157
Costa Rica flag
Costa Rica
162.72
158
Solomon Islands flag
Solomon Islands
162.602
159
Mauritius flag
Mauritius
162.594
160
Saudi Arabia flag
Saudi Arabia
162.563
161
Mongolia flag
Mongolia
162.535
162
Belize flag
Belize
162.43
163
Portugal flag
Portugal
162.227
164
China, Hong Kong SAR flag
China, Hong Kong SAR
162.174
165
India flag
India
162.158
166
Afghanistan flag
Afghanistan
162.126
167
Greenland flag
Greenland
162.037
168
Malawi flag
Malawi
161.994
169
Nicaragua flag
Nicaragua
161.835
170
Comoros flag
Comoros
161.807
171
Bhutan flag
Bhutan
161.715
172
Madagascar flag
Madagascar
161.629
173
Mozambique flag
Mozambique
161.568
174
Colombia flag
Colombia
161.416
175
Panama flag
Panama
161.341
176
Bahrain flag
Bahrain
161.34
177
Mexico flag
Mexico
161.25
178
Malaysia flag
Malaysia
160.879
179
Thailand flag
Thailand
160.812
180
Japan flag
Japan
160.74
181
Liberia flag
Liberia
160.432
182
Papua New Guinea flag
Papua New Guinea
160.307
183
Myanmar flag
Myanmar
160.271
184
Bangladesh flag
Bangladesh
160.258
185
Sri Lanka flag
Sri Lanka
159.947
186
Oman flag
Oman
159.726
187
Bolivia flag
Bolivia
159.639
188
Yemen flag
Yemen
159.501
189
Ecuador flag
Ecuador
158.767
190
Brunei Darussalam flag
Brunei Darussalam
158.725
191
Nepal flag
Nepal
158.402
192
Guatemala flag
Guatemala
158.402
193
Vietnam flag
Vietnam
158.391
194
Peru flag
Peru
158.146
195
Maldives flag
Maldives
158.035
196
Cambodia flag
Cambodia
157.908
197
Philippines flag
Philippines
157.778
198
Indonesia flag
Indonesia
157.404
199
Timor-Leste flag
Timor-Leste
156.495
200
Laos flag
Laos
155.972

โ†‘Top 10 Countries

  1. #1Iceland flagIceland
  2. #2Norway flagNorway
  3. #3Sweden flagSweden
  4. #4Netherlands flagNetherlands
  5. #5United States flagUnited States
  6. #6Denmark flagDenmark
  7. #7Estonia flagEstonia
  8. #8Canada flagCanada
  9. #9Tonga flagTonga
  10. #10Bosnia and Herzegovina flagBosnia and Herzegovina

Analysis: These countries represent the highest values in this dataset, showcasing significant scale and impact on global statistics.

โ†“Bottom 10 Countries

  1. #200Laos flagLaos
  2. #199Timor-Leste flagTimor-Leste
  3. #198Indonesia flagIndonesia
  4. #197Philippines flagPhilippines
  5. #196Cambodia flagCambodia
  6. #195Maldives flagMaldives
  7. #194Peru flagPeru
  8. #193Vietnam flagVietnam
  9. #192Guatemala flagGuatemala
  10. #191Nepal flagNepal

Context: These countries or territories have the lowest values, often due to geographic size, administrative status, or specific characteristics.

Analysis & Context

Overview of Mean Male Height (cm) in 1920

The country with the highest recorded Mean Male Height (cm) in 1920 is Iceland, boasting an impressive height of 175.48 cm, while the global range spans from a minimum of 155.97 cm to a maximum of 175.48 cm. The global average height for males during this year is calculated at 165.50 cm, with a median height of 165.26 cm, indicating a significant variation among different nations.

Geographical Influences on Mean Male Height

Geography plays a crucial role in determining mean male height, as evidenced by the top-ranking countries in 1920. Iceland, with the highest mean height, benefits from a relatively homogenous population and a robust welfare system, which supports nutrition and health. Similarly, Norway and Sweden, with mean heights of 174.86 cm and 174.64 cm respectively, also exhibit high living standards and social policies that promote health and well-being.

In contrast, countries at the bottom of the list, such as Laos at 155.97 cm and Timor-Leste at 156.50 cm, often face challenges related to economic development, healthcare access, and nutrition. The stark differences in mean height highlight how geographic and economic contexts shape public health outcomes.

Impact of Nutrition and Economic Conditions

Nutritional factors significantly influence mean male height, as seen in the disparity between developed and developing nations. The top ten countries, including Denmark at 173.30 cm and the United States at 173.82 cm, benefit from well-established agricultural systems and food security, allowing for better nutritional intake. These countries also experienced industrialization, which improved living standards and health outcomes.

Conversely, in nations like Indonesia at 157.40 cm and the Philippines at 157.78 cm, economic constraints and agricultural challenges limit access to adequate nutrition. This correlation between economic conditions and health suggests that improvements in food security and healthcare could lead to increases in mean height over time.

Year-over-Year Changes: Notable Movers

The data indicates a slight average yearly increase of 0.14 cm (0.1%) in mean male height across the 200 countries surveyed. Notably, Iran experienced the largest increase at 0.27 cm (0.2%), which may be attributed to improvements in healthcare and nutrition policies during this period. Other countries showing significant gains include Algeria with an increase of 0.24 cm and Jordan at 0.23 cm.

On the other hand, several nations, including India, Samoa, and Pakistan, reported stagnation with no change in height. These trends suggest that while some countries are making strides in public health and nutrition, others may be facing systemic issues that hinder progress.

Conclusion: The Significance of Mean Male Height Data

The mean male height data from 1920 provides valuable insights into the social and economic conditions of that era. With a global average of 165.50 cm, the variations among countries underscore the influence of geography, nutrition, and economic stability on health outcomes. As nations continue to develop, monitoring changes in mean male height can serve as an important indicator of public health and quality of life improvements. Understanding these patterns is essential for policymakers aiming to enhance the well-being of their populations.

Data Source

Our World in Data

Our World in Data is a collaborative effort between researchers at the University of Oxford, who are the scientific editors of the website content; and the UK-based nonprofit organization Global Change Data Lab (GCDL), which publishes and maintains the website and the data tools that make our work possible.

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Historical Data by Year

Explore Mean Male Height (cm) data across different years. Compare trends and see how statistics have changed over time.

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