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What is the average height of women by country?
Average female height varies widely worldwide. In a popular global comparison, the average height is about 170 cm. The shortest average is around 151 cm. In that dataset, women in the Netherlands, the average woman is nearly 170 cm in feet (approx 5'7"), whereas in countries like India, the average is closer to 152 cm in feet (4'11"). Women in Guatemala average 150.9 cm in height, according to 2019 estimates.
That gap is important in daily life. It affects tasks such as buying clothes, filling out medical forms, completing sports profiles, and preparing travel documents.
In many countries, height is measured in centimeters, while feet and inches are commonly used in the United States and the United Kingdom. For example, a height of 170 cm is equal to approximately 5 feet 7 inches. You can instantly convert this using our 170 cm in feet converter, which provides an exact and easy-to-understand result.
Height values around 170 cm are very common when comparing average heights across countries. To make conversions easier, you can also check related height conversions such as 173 cm in feet, 176 cm in feet, and 187 cm in feet, which are frequently used in global height comparisons.
What is the average height by country truly signifies
When you see a "by country" height ranking, it usually does not mean every adult woman was measured in the same year. To make countries comparable, major global analyses often focus on a consistent age group. A common standard is the average height of 19-year-olds in a given year. This is because it is close to the final adult height and easier to compare across different groups.
That's why numbers can differ between sources:
- Global rankings often use 19-year-old girls as the comparison group (modelled from many measurement studies).
- National surveys may report adult women (20+) and sometimes mix measured and self-reported heights.
- Clinic-style explainers often use a simple national average for readability (e.g., a U.S. average).
The key is to compare like with like: same age group, similar measurement method, and similar timeframe.
Average Female Height by Country Worldwide
Here are a few widely cited figures drawn from reporting based on the NCD-RisC pooled analyses (2019 estimates):
| Country | Avg female height (cm) | Approx feet/inches |
| Netherlands | 170.4cm | ~5'7" (5 feet and 7 inches) |
| Montenegro | 170.0cm | ~5'7" (5 feet and 7 inches) |
| Denmark | 169.5cm | ~5'7" (5 feet and 7 inches) |
| Iceland | 168.9cm |
~5'6.5" (5 feet and 6.5 inches) |
| United Sates | 161.3cm |
~5'.3.5" (5 feet and 3.5 inches) |
| Guatemala | 150.9cm | ~4'11" (4 feet and 11 inches) |
A useful way to read this is by "bands" rather than exact ranks. Many countries in Northern and Eastern Europe are at the higher end. In contrast, several countries in South Asia and parts of Central America are at the lower end.
The peer-reviewed study shows that the tallest countries for girls are the Netherlands, Montenegro, Denmark, and Iceland. The shortest countries, based on 2019 estimates, are Guatemala, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Timor-Leste.
Why are some countries taller on average
Genetics greatly affects height. However, average heights in a population can change over generations. This happens when early-life conditions improve or worsen.
Genetics sets the baseline.
Family traits matter. If women in your family are generally tall or generally short, your odds tilt in that direction. Most clinical explainers describe height as a hereditary trait, shaped by biology and family background.
Childhood nutrition has an outsized impact.
What happens from pregnancy through the teen years matters far more than adult diet. Global research ties height differences to early-life nutrition, including access to high-quality protein and key nutrients.
Health, infections, and living conditions influence growth.
Repeated illness, limited healthcare access, and chronic stressors can affect growth and development. Large pooled studies use height trends as a long-run signal of childhood conditions in a population.
Demographics can shift national averages.
Migration patterns and the mix of people can change a country's "average" over time. This can happen even if individual biology stays the same.
The U.S. average height for women in plain terms
The Cleveland Clinic reports that the average height for women in the United States is 5 feet 3.5 inches. This data relies on U.S. statistics from 2015 to 2018.
That's a different type of number than a "19-year-old country ranking," so it's normal to see small mismatches across sources.
How to read height statistics without getting misled
Averages are useful, but they can be easy to misinterpret. These checks keep the numbers honest:
Average is not a target. A midpoint exists, not a goal or a health standard.
Check the age group. "Women 20+" and "girls age 19" are not identical categories.
Measured beats what people say. Many surveys show that people often report their height as taller than it is. In contrast, large studies depend on actual measurements.
Small differences don't matter; big clusters do. A 0.5 cm gap between countries is not meaningful for most readers. A 15–20 cm gap across regions is.
Converting women's height into centimetres
Many people know their height in feet and inches, but need it in centimetres for forms, health records, and profiles. The exact conversion is simple:
1 inch = 2.54 cm (exactly).
If you want a quick calculator for any value, use this inches to cm conversion page.
Here are common searches people type when converting measurements (each linked once, as requested). You can use these naturally when writing height examples, sizing guides, or measurement explanations:
If you're converting smaller measurements for charts and sizing notes, 13 in to cm and 7.5 in to cm are frequent lookups.
For daily measurement checks, many people look up 23 inches to cm, 32 inches to cm, and 38 inches to cm. They do this when comparing product sizes, gym measurements, or profile stats.
Some conversions are common in clothing and height. These include 34 inches to cm, 39 inches to cm, and 41 inches to cm.
For larger values, people often check 63 inches to cm, 84 inches to cm, and 87 inches to cm. They do this when converting height, room size, or sports stats.
Some quick conversions are useful in tools and DIY. For example, 40 inches to cm, 20 inches to cm, and 9 inches to cm.
And for minuscule measurements, 2 inches in cm is a common one. Some users also search in the opposite direction. They use familiar phrases like 6.5 cm to inches, 18 cm to inches, and 24 cm to inches when starting from centimeters.
Where do these country height numbers come from
A key reference often used in public explainers is the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration's analysis. This analysis was published in the Lancet. It estimates trends in average height for ages 5 to 19 in 200 countries and territories. The study uses thousands of measurement-based studies and tens of millions of participants.
Related Height Conversions
If you are comparing heights or converting multiple values, you may also find these conversions useful:
Conclusion
Average female height varies widely by country, and the fairest comparisons usually rely on a consistent benchmark, such as the mean height of 19-year-old girls. In the commonly cited global estimates, the Netherlands is at the top at 170.4 cm, while Guatemala is at the low end at 150.9 cm.
When you use these numbers, keep the definitions clear (age group and measurement method), and convert units using the exact standard: 1 inch = 2.54 cm.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Use the exact conversion: 1 inch = 2.54 cm. Convert cm to inches by dividing by 2.54, then convert inches to feet by dividing by 12 (the remainder is inches).
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Women’s average height is not the same in every country. A common global estimate is about 160 cm, which is around 5 ft 3 in. In many rankings, countries like the Netherlands and Montenegro are closer to 170 cm (about 5 ft 7 in), while parts of South and Southeast Asia are nearer 152 cm (about 5 ft 0 in). These are averages only, so many women are taller or shorter than the number shown.
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The Netherlands is often listed as the country with the tallest women on average. The typical height is about 170 cm (around 5 ft 7 in).
Other countries that often rank near the top include Montenegro, Denmark, Iceland, and Latvia. In these places, the average is usually in the high 160s cm.
Overall, the tallest average female heights are most common in Northern and Eastern Europe. Still, an average is only a midpoint. In every country, many women are taller than the average, and many are shorter too.
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Average height is not the same as a healthy height. Health depends more on things like nutrition, genetics, sleep, activity, and medical care, not on being “close to the average.”
A country’s average height can hint at overall living conditions, but it does not judge an individual. Many people who are shorter or taller than the average are completely healthy.
If you want a better health check than height alone, look at steady growth (for kids), a healthy weight range, strength/energy levels, and regular checkups—those give a clearer picture than the mean height.
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Most girls reach their adult height between 14 and 15 years old. Many stop growing about 1–2 years after their first period, because growth slows near the end of puberty.
There is a wide “normal” range. What matters most is steady growth over time, not comparing your child to others.
Call your child’s paediatrician if growth stops suddenly, if puberty seems very early or very late, or if you’re worried about height, appetite, or overall development.
