- Though height varies widely around the world, some countries tend to have taller citizens.
- Using medical data, Business Insider found the mean heights for the 25 tallest countries.
- The top 25 is dominated by European countries such as Sweden, Denmark, and Estonia.
Sultan Kösen, who hails from Turkey, is nearly 8 feet 3 inches tall and may be the tallest person on the planet. Brahim Takioullah, born in Morocco, is about 8 feet 1 inches tall, and Morteza Mehrzad, an Iranian volleyball player, is the same height.
Despite the impressive stature of these figures, none of their countries is among those with the tallest people, according to the medical database from the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration.
From 1985 to 2019, the project collected height, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and other health metrics from over 2,500 population surveys across 193 countries.
The NCD lists the mean heights for 19-year-old men and women in each country. Averaging these two figures gives a rough idea of the typical height of a person in the country.
Notably, the US isn't on the list. It ranked 58th for women, at 5 feet 4.29 inches (163.3 cm), and 47th for men at 5 feet 9.65 inches (176.9 cm). Despite its lackluster ranking, the US claims the title of the tallest person in recorded history, Robert Wadlow. Wadlow, who died in 1940, was born in Illinois and was about 8 feet 11 inches tall.
These are the 25 countries that (literally) came out on top.
25. Greece's mean height is 5 feet 7.93 inches (172.55 cm).
The mean height for men from Greece is 5 feet 10.59 inches (179.3 cm).
The mean height for women from Greece is 5 feet 5.28 inches (165.8 cm).
24. Austria's mean height is 5 feet 7.99 inches (172.7 cm).
The mean height for men from Austria is 5 feet 10.28 inches (178.5 cm).
The mean height for women from Austria is 5 feet 5.71 inches (166.9 cm).
22. Belarus' mean height is 5 feet 8.03 inches (172.8 cm).
The mean height for men from Belarus is 5 feet 10.35 inches (178.7 cm).
The mean height for women from Belarus is 5 feet 5.71 inches (166.9 cm).
22. Cook Islands' mean height is 5 feet 8.03 inches (172.8 cm).
The mean height for men from the Cook Islands is 5 feet 10.19 inches (178.3 cm).
The mean height for women from the Cook Islands is 5 feet 5.87 inches (167.3 cm).
21. Bermuda's mean height is 5 feet 8.07 inches (172.9 cm).
The mean height for men from Bermuda is 5 feet 10.75 inches (179.7 cm).
The mean height for women from Bermuda is 5 feet 5.39 inches (166.1 cm).
19. Poland's mean height is 5 feet 8.21 inches (173.25 cm).
The mean height for men from Poland is 5 feet 11.14 inches (180.7 cm).
The mean height for women from Poland is 5 feet 5.28 inches (165.8 cm).
19. Germany's mean height is 5 feet 8.21 inches (173.25 cm).
The mean height for men from Germany is 5 feet 10.98 inches (180.3 cm).
The mean height for women from Germany is 5 feet 5.43 inches (166.2 cm).
18. Norway's mean height is 5 feet 8.29 inches (173.45 cm).
The mean height for men from Norway is 5 feet 11.06 inches (180.5 cm).
The mean height for women from Norway is 5 feet 5.51 inches (166.4 cm).
16. Finland's mean height is 5 feet 8.33 inches (173.55 cm).
The mean height for men from Finland is 5 feet 11.1 inches (180.6 cm).
The mean height for women from Finland is 5 feet 5.55 inches (166.5 cm).
16. Dominica's mean height is 5 feet 8.33 inches (173.55 cm).
The mean height for men from Dominica is 5 feet 10.94 inches (180.2 cm).
The mean height for women from Dominica is 5 feet 5.71 inches (166.9 cm).
15. Sweden's mean height is 5 feet 8.35 inches (173.6 cm).
The mean height for men from Sweden is 5 feet 11.06 inches (180.5 cm).
The mean height for women from Sweden is 5 feet 5.63 inches (166.7 cm).
13. Ukraine's mean height is 5 feet 8.43 inches (173.8 cm).
The mean height for men from Ukraine is 5 feet 11.26 inches (181 cm).
The mean height for women from Ukraine is 5 feet 5.59 inches (166.6 cm).
13. Croatia's mean height is 5 feet 8.43 inches (173.8 cm).
The mean height for men from Croatia is 5 feet 11.18 inches (180.8 cm).
The mean height for women from Croatia is 5 feet 5.67 inches (166.8 cm).
12. Slovakia's mean height is 5 feet 8.52 inches (174.05 cm).
The mean height for men from Slovakia is 5 feet 11.26 inches (181 cm).
The mean height for women from Slovakia is 5 feet 5.79 inches (167.1 cm).
11. Slovenia's mean height is 5 feet 8.54 inches (174.1 cm).
The mean height for men from Slovenia is 5 feet 11.26 inches (181 cm).
The mean height for women from Slovenia is 5 feet 5.83 inches (167.2 cm).
10. Lithuania's mean height is 5 feet 8.56 inches (174.15 cm).
The mean height for men from Lithuania is 5 feet 11.14 inches (180.7 cm).
The mean height for women from Lithuania is 5 feet 5.98 inches (167.6 cm).
9. Serbia's mean height is 5 feet 8.7 inches (174.5 cm).
The mean height for men from Serbia is 5 feet 11.14 inches (180.7 cm).
The mean height for women from Serbia is 5 feet 6.26 inches (168.3 cm).
8. The Czech Republic's mean height is 5 feet 8.74 inches (174.6 cm).
The mean height for men from the Czech Republic is 5 feet 11.34 inches (181.2 cm).
The mean height for women from the Czech Republic is 5 feet 6.14 inches (168 cm).
6. Bosnia and Herzegovina's mean height is 5 feet 8.9 inches (175 cm).
The mean height for men from Bosnia & Herzegovina is 5 feet 11.85 inches (182.5 cm).
The mean height for women from Bosnia & Herzegovina is 5 feet 5.94 inches (167.5 cm).
6. Latvia's mean height is 5 feet 8.9 inches (175 cm).
The mean height for men from Latvia is 5 feet 11.34 inches (181.2 cm).
The mean height for women from Latvia is 5 feet 6.46 inches (168.8 cm).
5. Iceland's mean height is 5 feet 9.09 inches (175.5 cm).
The mean height for men from Iceland is 5 feet 11.69 inches (182.1 cm).
The mean height for women from Iceland is 5 feet 6.5 inches (168.9 cm).
4. Denmark's mean height is 5 feet 9.17 inches (175.7 cm).
The mean height for men from Denmark is 5 feet 11.61 inches (181.9 cm).
The mean height for women from Denmark is 5 feet 6.73 inches (169.5 cm).
3. Estonia's mean height is 5 feet 9.19 inches (175.75 cm).
The mean height for men from Estonia is 5 feet 11.97 inches (182.8 cm).
The mean height for women from Estonia is 5 feet 6.42 inches (168.7 cm).
2. Montenegro's mean height is 5 feet 9.55 inches (176.65 cm).
The mean height for men from Montenegro is 6 feet 0.17 inches (183.3 cm).
The mean height for women from Montenegro is 5 feet 6.93 inches (170 cm).
1. The Netherlands' mean height is 5 feet 9.72 inches (177.1 cm).
The mean height for men from the Netherlands is 6 feet 0.36 inches (183.8 cm).
The mean height for women from the Netherlands is 5 feet 7.09 inches (170.4 cm).
