home
Menu
Create
Random
0
0
thumbnail

Top 20 Countries With the Tallest People

Which countries have the tallest citizens, according to a comprehensive study by the Imperial College of London?
Source data can be found here
Based on average of male and female height for people born in 1996
No data exists for European microstates with fewer than 50,000 residents (Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City)
Quiz by TerapiaDeShock
Rate:
Featured Quiz
Last updated: June 10, 2020
You have not attempted this quiz yet.
More quiz info >>
First submittedApril 30, 2020
Times taken45,160
Average score75.0%
Rating4.88
Quiz and answer stats >>
Friends stats >>
4:00
Enter answer here
0
 / 20 guessed
The quiz is paused. You have remaining.
Scoring
You scored / = %
This beats or equals % of test takers also scored 100%
The average score is
Your high score is
Your fastest time is
Keep scrolling down for answers and more stats ...
Male
Female
Country
182.5 (6′0)
168.7 (5′6)
Netherlands
181.7 (6′0)
169.8 (5′7)
Latvia
181.6 (5′11)
168.7 (5′6)
Estonia
181.4 (5′11)
167.2 (5′6)
Denmark
181.4 (5′11)
168.5 (5′6)
Czech Republic
180.9 (5′11)
167.7 (5′6)
Serbia
181.7 (6′0)
165.5 (5′5)
Belgium
180.6 (5′11)
167.5 (5′6)
Slovakia
180.5 (5′11)
165.8 (5′5)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
180.1 (5′11)
165.9 (5′5)
Iceland
Male
Female
Country
179.9 (5′11)
165.6 (5′5)
Croatia
179.8 (5′11)
166.1 (5′5)
Slovenia
179.7 (5′11)
165.9 (5′5)
Germany
179.7 (5′11)
166.6 (5′6)
Lithuania
179.7 (5′11)
165.9 (5′5)
Finland
179.6 (5′11)
165.7 (5′5)
Sweden
179.5 (5′11)
165.6 (5′5)
Norway
179.2 (5′11)
165.9 (5′5)
Australia
179.0 (5′10)
166.3 (5′6)
Ukraine
178.9 (5′10)
166.3 (5′6)
Belarus
Quizmaster
+31
Level ∞
May 1, 2020
Just the other day I said we'd never feature a quiz on this subject and yet here we are. Thanks to TerepiaDeShock for finding this source!
nerdalert
+62
Level 82
May 1, 2020
White people are tall.
Natascha
+40
Level 52
Jun 10, 2020
No, also black Dutch people are tall. it has to do with excellent nourishment in your youth, affordable and available healthcare, and the prevailence of central heating in homes.
Quizmaster
+131
Level ∞
Jun 10, 2020
There's clearly a genetic component to height. Michael Jordon isn't 6'6" tall because he had access to central heating.

Genetics determine your potential. Nutrition and health allow you to reach your potential. Differences between developed countries mostly come down to genes. Japanese people aren't short because of malnutrition.

ljhb48
+27
Level 44
Jul 7, 2020
I think its fair to say that both genetics and upbringing have a huge role in a people's height. After the Liberal reforms in the UK during the early 20th century, average British height rose half a foot.

Of course, genetics also play a role, and long lasting practices with it. Anthropologists believe early indo-europeans developed a tolerance for lactose that other peoples didn't have, which gave them a plentiful source for calcium in cows milk. From this they got a foot's height advantage over the corded wear people living in Europe at the time - the current Europeans are descendents of these tall milk drinkers.

We also see this in Japan and South Korea - prosperous, developed nations, with excellent benefit systems, but they're very short on average.

Therefore, its a mix of both nourishment and genetics.

hikikomori
+10
Level 58
Oct 9, 2020
what a strange cope
AngelaV
+14
Level 45
May 25, 2021
Yeah, healthcare in the Balkans and in Eastern Europe isn't THAT available as in Scandinavia. And way less than in France or Canada, which are not even in the answers. Nordic, Germanic, Slavic and Balt peoples, hence ethnicities from around the Baltic.Sea, are generally the tallest (Balkan Slavs migrated from North to the Balkans around 1000 AD).
BrennoAU
+4
Level 43
Jan 29, 2022
and the need to look over levies
maur85
+5
Level 71
Jul 26, 2022
Regarding the Japan example, from a Washington Post article from 1993:

"The rapid westernization of this traditional Asian society has brought such major changes in diet and lifestyle that Japanese people have experienced one of the fastest collective growth spurts ever recorded, according to public health officials.

In the last 30 years, the height of the average Japanese male has gone up nearly four inches, while average female height has increased about 2.7 inches. The average 20-year-old Japanese man today is 5 feet 8 1/4 inches, according to data released this month by Japan's Health and Welfare Ministry. That is about the same height as European 20-year-olds."

Diet, lifestyle and access to healthcare do play a bigger part than we tend to think, and maybe picking Japan as an example might have been a poor choice. This other graph displays the average male height per year and the author also points out the drop due to food scarcity post WW2 https://nbakki.hatenablog.com/entry/20

maur85
+1
Level 71
Jul 27, 2022
https://nbakki.hatenablog.com/entry/2014/05/30/173407
shockwave97
+39
Level 40
Jun 10, 2020
South Sudan also have some of the tallest people. Maybe after some decades, with better nutrition and healthcare, they will also come into this list.
Quizmaster
+26
Level ∞
Jun 10, 2020
True! The Dinka tribe (which Manute Bol came from) are possibly the tallest people in the world.
buck1017
+13
Level 77
Jun 10, 2020
Sudan, South Sudan, and Senegal were the first countries i guess. I would have never guessed that not a single African nation would be on this list.
Bubblecat
+11
Level 70
Jun 12, 2020
Came to the comments to mention this - was surprised South Sudan didn't make the list.
hikikomori
+5
Level 58
Mar 1, 2022
yeah all 20 of them
tshalla
+5
Level 74
Jul 26, 2022
The source doesn't have data for South Sudan. It's hard to imagine it wouldn't be at the top of the list.
BlackJohn
+20
Level 72
Jun 10, 2020
*Nordic & Slavic people are tall.
Putjesscheppert
+2
Level 61
Jan 4, 2021
I wouldn't call people from Australia Nordic or Slavic
BrennoAU
+8
Level 43
Jan 29, 2022
As a nordic person in Australia I argue against that... truly though nordic should be replaced with germanic
RudeDog
+6
Level 57
Jul 26, 2022
Australian genes are heavily influenced by the Europeans that migrated there (whether by choice or punishment)
hage109
+2
Level 57
Jul 26, 2022
The average height of Japan and South Korea is about 173cm, which is a relatively medium size and not short at all.
HinesBrothers
+5
Level 74
May 1, 2020
Congratulations on gettingyour first featured quiz, Terapia!

Note: You can also try the state version here.

TerapiaDeShock
+2
Level 56
May 1, 2020
Thank you!
Moos1005
+10
Level 82
May 1, 2020
I wonder if Bergmann's rule plays any role in the height distribution of humans, too.
callofduty45
+5
Level 55
May 1, 2020
I thought I was tall, but I'm barely over the average height in my country.
Sifhraven
+3
Level 66
May 4, 2020
I am 9cm over the average, and I am from the country ranking first, and born quite a bit earlier than the '96. I don't think I am tall though, at all.
TomatosRaafatos
+2
Level 73
Jun 10, 2020
Well, either everybody you know is much taller than average or the data is wrong... tough call. I honestly think the Dutch be taking the p*** when they say stuff like that to us regular people xD
rustwat
+2
Level 62
Jun 10, 2020
No, we are not. I am 193cm and I've had occasions where I was talking in a group where I was the shortest male there.
Nilles
+1
Level 50
Jun 10, 2020
I'm taller than average too here in the Netherlands and I too don't feel tall, my 16 y/o friends are 2 meters lol
callofduty45
+4
Level 55
Jun 10, 2020
At the time of this comment I was roughly at about 183cm, but now I am at about 185cm. I live in America currently and I am considered pretty tall, but when I go back to Bosnia, everybody there is pretty close to my height. Although, the strange part is that none of my close family members are tall. My father is about 172cm and my mother is about 170cm. The tallest person in my close family is 187cm and the rest are really short. I guess I got lucky with "good" genetics.
TjizzleDizzle
+2
Level 66
Jun 10, 2020
I'm Dutch, and almost exactly average (for a Dutch man), depending on what leg i lean. xD But it is with frequency i come across some guys taller then me, not all the time though (for context, i live in a city with roughly 180.000 people).

With the Dutch average for women, i can't help remembering that some people doubted if my mother was really my mother, because she is quite small (like 1 meter 56). Quite funny when people actually openly doubt that. :P

mf3
+12
Level 86
May 1, 2020
A bit strange that Germany is mid-list but Austria is nowhere to be found. Also, I thought that the Dinkas, the largest tribe in South Sudan, were really tall (2 NBA players from there).
Sifhraven
+5
Level 66
May 4, 2020
Also weird, where the .. is luxembourg ;) withnetherlands germany and belgium on there, you would expect them. I guess they take after the French ;)
TerapiaDeShock
+15
Level 56
May 4, 2020
France actually came in 21st, beating countries like Montenegro and Bulgaria. They missed out on the top 20 by only 0.08 cm. As for Luxembourg, they did not feature in the top 25.
david2013
+19
Level 83
Jun 10, 2020
The list is based on countries. There are some rather tall tribes in Africa. But they may not comprise the total or majority of the population in any one country. If there are shorter people in the country, that would bring the average down.
buscfc93
+7
Level 77
May 2, 2020
Really strange that Montenegro is missing.
TerapiaDeShock
+7
Level 56
May 2, 2020
Montenegro just missed out as they placed in 23rd. The average man is 178.3 cm (5'10) and the average woman is 164.9cm (5'5).
Jorissie
+14
Level 86
May 4, 2020
As a 1.90m tall Dutchman I can confirm I usually am the longest person around when on holiday, while when at home I'm actually quitte average
loganite
+33
Level 87
May 12, 2020
Wait...we're still talking about height, right? ;)
TerapiaDeShock
+4
Level 56
May 13, 2020
Please enlighten me, what else would we be talking about......?:)
AlexThirkell
+5
Level 73
Jul 26, 2022
I believe the reference is to the length of the gentleman's spine (anagram)
rustwat
+4
Level 62
Jun 10, 2020
Ever been in a subway in Spain or Italy? I am 193cm and have to watch out to not bump my head.
Bubblecat
+3
Level 70
Jun 12, 2020
I used to work in tourist information and could usually tell which visitors were Dutch before they spoke, purely by height :')
Qikiq
+10
Level 84
May 4, 2020
As a 5 foot 8 inch Dutch woman, I'm the shortest person in my family. But people in the grocery store are always asking me to get things off the top shelf for them.
Latviangirl
+9
Level 59
May 4, 2020
I'm a 5'4 (163 cm) woman and in any other country I'd be average or even tall but I'm from Latvia so I've always been considered really short. It's crazy how tall Latvian girls are...
TerapiaDeShock
+12
Level 56
May 4, 2020
It is interesting that Latvia are a full centimetre taller on average for women than any other country in the world.
phalocrocorax
+3
Level 81
May 7, 2020
Would it be possible to list the states for which there is no data in the description, please? Since this quiz is not about population, knowledge of which states the caveat covers shouldn't be expected.
TerapiaDeShock
+1
Level 56
May 7, 2020
I've added that in.
dasubergeek
+13
Level 70
May 20, 2020
What's really fun is going to a place where the average height is far lower, and realizing that literally everything is built for people a full 30 cm shorter than you. GUATEMALA I AM LOOKING AT YOU.
Natascha
+2
Level 52
Jun 10, 2020
We grew up in The Netherlands, taking the bus in Guatemala is a painful experience for the knees.....
Jacktheguy
+8
Level 88
Jun 10, 2020
Very easy. All European countries except for Australia.
mightythor
+40
Level 66
Jun 10, 2020
Australia is in Eurovision, so it's part of Europe.
Jacktheguy
+4
Level 88
Jun 10, 2020
Ah yes. Of course. How silly of me.
JackintheBox
+2
Level 77
Jun 11, 2020
Correct, therefore Cyprus and Turkey are also in Europe.
ornei
+1
Level 59
Jan 10, 2021
and Israel
tshalla
+4
Level 74
Jun 10, 2020
The source has no data on South Sudan. My guess is it would be first.
riverdale
+9
Level 45
Jun 10, 2020
I think South Sudan have a few more important issues to deal with at the moment than going around measuring people's heights
TerapiaDeShock
+15
Level 56
Jun 10, 2020
There is no data anywhere(after a very quick google search) for the average height in South Sudan so I did a bit of research about the Dinka tribe. According to one source their average height is 182.6cm which would indeed put them top of the list. However, we are only talking about one tribe within South Sudan. According to another source, the Dinka tribe make up for 36% of South Sudan's population and most of the rest of the population are all different types of Nilotic tribes(which the Dinka tribe are as well). Given that the Nilotic tribes are all fairly closely related it is safe to assume that the other tribes in South Sudan are probably quite tall as well. So, assuming the sources I used are correct, I am inclined to agree with you.
NTND
+9
Level 46
Jun 10, 2020
Considering that Australia participates in Eurovision, It's all European countries.
KoenvA94
+6
Level 56
Jun 10, 2020
It is a quite well known 'fact' that the Netherlands has the tallest people, but keep in mind though this research can have extremely different methodologies in how they extract their data. Which results in comparing apples to oranges.

When I compare my own country to for example Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, Serbia, Norway, Denmark or Austria, I really don't think we're (Dutch) taller on average. In fact I have the impression we're even shorter. But differences are very small between basically every european country, so it's hard to tell.

Taking a look at wikipedia, the fact we often turn out to be the tallest could be because the Netherlands relies on self-reported data, while in many other countries they measured some sample group

Putjesscheppert
+3
Level 61
Jun 10, 2020
No no no no, we definitely are the tallest.
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Jun 10, 2020
You can read the methodology of the source... Having visited the Netherlands, I can say I'm not surprised that they top the list. People there are quite tall.
CordobaCapital
+4
Level 64
Jun 10, 2020
My 6' tall mother told me I would feel 'normal' when I went to Holland and saw all the tall people around me. And it was true! I'm 6'7" and Dutch American, so I didn't stand out in a crowd. Such a cool feeling! I even got tourists coming up to me and asking if I spoke English so they could ask me directions. I did feel a bit embarrassed when the locals spoke to me in Dutch and I couldn't tell what they were saying. If you're really tall and want to see what it feels like to blend in, the quizmaster has given you a travel bucket list!
ChaosLord
+2
Level 72
Jul 26, 2022
No, you're American with Dutch ancestry. Your present nationality has precisely nothing to do with the Netherlands.
raneman11
+2
Level 65
Jul 26, 2022
You sure told him. How dare Americans know what ethnicity they are. After all, as the quiz above shows, there are no differences between say Dutch and Portuguese.
roadrage
+4
Level 68
Jun 10, 2020
I was so sure North Korea would be on the list.
KevinF
+10
Level 50
Jun 10, 2020
North Korea is not, but Kim is the tallest man in the world, reaching 2 metres when he was 8.
Pharley
+2
Level 71
Jun 10, 2020
Got them all except Australia. Which is where I live. I'm a little over 6' tall and I'd consider just by observation that I'm much taller than the average for a male here, so I didn't even think to try Australia. Probably should have paid more attention to the "born in 1996" note.
Eigengrau
+9
Level 60
Jun 10, 2020
I like to believe that Dutch people evolved to be tall so they could look over their submerging country :)
Pandora49
+1
Level 55
Nov 11, 2020
Helpful when fighting against the ocean
kalbahamut
+1
Level 84
Jun 10, 2020
There are certain tribes in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia that are very tall but it's a very mixed bag within the borders of the whole country. Others are tiny.
pedrotferreira
+1
Level 41
Jun 10, 2020
Only missed Serbia
kiwiquizzer
+3
Level 67
Jun 11, 2020
We watched the Serbian football team play when the FIFA World Cup U-20 was held in New Zealand on 2015. The Serbians were massively tall. Their defence was like a block wall. The goalkeeper filled up the goal. They beat Brazil in the final.
ander217
+3
Level 76
Jun 10, 2020
I wonder if the average age of the population would make a difference. We lose height as we age, so perhaps countries with younger average populations would rank higher than those with more older people. All I can say is, enjoy it while you have it. I was 5' 6" all my adult life until the past few years when I started losing height. I'm now 5' 4 1/2". Osteoporosis, loss of collagen, thinning of vertebral discs - all can affect height as we age.
kalbahamut
+2
Level 84
Jun 10, 2020
Aging is a horrible degenerative condition that I've already endured more of than I would care to and am definitely not looking forward to going through more of in the future; at the same time I wouldn't mind losing a few inches in height. My current stature is excessive. Well above any of these national averages.
hwes
+4
Level 83
Jun 10, 2020
Height varies within the Netherlands. I'm 183 cm or 6' 0 or average for the Netherlands,. However, when I visit my Dutch relatives, I am the shortest male and most women are near my height. My relatives are all Frisian -- from the province of Friesland. The people in the northern provinces of Friesland and Groningen are much taller than those in the south provinces of Limburg and Brabant.
lucaswe
+1
Level 59
Jun 10, 2020
I was really surprised at the lack of African nations on this list!
imalittledespot
+3
Level 67
Jun 10, 2020
The NBA got me thinking about Balkan countries like Croatia and Serbia.
lazydaisee
+1
Level 45
Jun 11, 2020
I heard somewhere that Viking loosely translated to 'Tall Invader' in some dialects...so the reference to tall people from northern Europe goes back some 1000 years
Veeti
+1
Level 58
Jun 12, 2020
Who knew East Europeans grew so tall. I mean Western Europe and Nordics were pretty obvious but Eastern Europe. Never saw it coming.
TamuAudwodia
+1
Level 66
Jun 12, 2020
I would've thought Montenegro would be up there. I've always heard they're among the tallest.
TerapiaDeShock
+1
Level 56
Jun 12, 2020
Montenegro just missed out as they placed in 23rd. The average man is 178.3 cm (5'10) and the average woman is 164.9cm (5'5).
erikj
+4
Level 62
Jun 12, 2020
We need a new picture for our king. He has a beard now ;)

I am 175cm and considered small here in the Netherlands. When I lived in Northern Ireland I felt relatively tall, which was nice for a change!

sergeantmalice
+1
Level 57
Jul 26, 2022
I'm also 175 cm and the average height in my country is 170 (I believe) and my friends like to mock me for being short
Litt1eBeats
+1
Level 65
Jun 13, 2020
As a slightly above average height Belgian (Flemish), I already noticed that our men are much taller in comparison to the women which the data confirms (for male: 2nd in the world). I also wonder what would happen if we measure Flanders and Flemish people on their own since I've always observed us to be taller than the Walloons in the south (maybe because of their French genes?) and the males to be more similar to the Dutch in terms of height. I have always been one of the shortest people in my friend groups so that has convinced me we are pretty tall.
Thomasm225
+7
Level 64
Jun 15, 2020
Dutch people are tall because otherwise their head would be under sea level and they would drown.
undeadwarrior
+2
Level 62
Jun 15, 2020
I'm 6'2", an Australian of Dutch ancestry (all my grandparents are Dutch), and am the shortest of all my cousins. I never even eclipsed my dad in height, who is 6'5".
toast1
+1
Level 34
Jul 17, 2022
I have non of those origin and im 6'4
GrammarBeane1
+1
Level 77
Jul 22, 2020
My sister's friend's dad is from the Netherlands. Can confirm, the whole family is enormous. They have to stockpile shoes when they visit the Netherlands because regular stores don't carry shoes large enough for them to wear
Dani1026
+2
Level 54
Jul 23, 2020
Funny how the best countries in basketball since a long time are not there: United States and Spain. Actually, if you see the list of the tallest countries, all of them are actually horrible at basketball except Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Lithuania, and lately Australia.
saifabandah
+1
Level 21
Feb 21, 2021
I'm surprised Nigeria isn't there
czech1mapper
+1
Level 47
Mar 9, 2021
South Sudan!!
Angbo
+1
Level 63
Jun 1, 2021
European Country Quiz.

Make me LOL

thailand
+2
Level 41
Jul 2, 2021
Alternate title:

Countries of Europe Quiz

GeneralZ
+2
Level 42
Jan 29, 2022
+ Australia
MiecraftMan
+1
Level 59
Jul 11, 2021
Uh, are European countries the only countries that exist?
GeneralZ
+4
Level 42
Jan 29, 2022
No. But Europeans are generally taller compared to those coming from countries of other continents.
toast1
+1
Level 34
Jul 17, 2022
So... Australia Is The Only Not European In The List...
Tadeu
+2
Level 58
Jul 26, 2022
OMG You truly need to creat the Quiz "Top 20 Countries With the Tallest People with exceptions" and not feature one european country on the list. I knew nordics were much taller than avarage but I didnt expect only having one country out of Europe in this list.
elcampeador
+2
Level 74
Jul 26, 2022
Math question: how absurdly tall would a pope have to be in order to skew the average and put the Vatican on this list?
jovica81
+1
Level 54
Jul 26, 2022
Where is Montenegro
YellowJacket
+2
Level 77
Jul 26, 2022
In the mountains next to Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, and Bosnia.
Szatan
+1
Level 60
Jul 26, 2022
I'm surprised Europe made almost all of this list. Technically all if we consider over half of Australians are European descendants. I expected Nordics, Benelux and Germany and only couple more from Europe, the rest Black/African countries.
geogerno1
+1
Level 44
Jul 26, 2022
Nice quiz- I actually made this exact same quiz from the same source around 6 months earlier with the top 25..
Cooldrive
+1
Level 61
Jul 26, 2022
Seems like it would be hard to grow tall in all those tiny little countries.
QuizApe
+1
Level 63
Jul 26, 2022
South Sudan?
Jezilly
+1
Level 76
Jul 31, 2022
I'm a Dutch/Ukrainian Australian. I was never not going to be tall.
OofyMcOoferson
+1
Level 49
Oct 25, 2022
Thought the quiz was only in europe based on all the european countries... until I saw australia.
zackvampeta2021
+1
Level 34
Dec 29, 2022
netherlands
Save Your Progress
Similar Quizzes by Tag
Country
Geography
Top 20 Countries

Copyright H Brothers Inc, 2008–2023

Contact Us | Go To Top | View Mobile Site