The Average Height By Country

Summary

The article discusses the average height by country, highlighting that Europeans are the tallest, with the Netherlands leading, and explains the factors contributing to these differences, including climate and standard of living.

Abstract

The article "The Average Height By Country" explores the significant variations in human height across different nations, emphasizing that Europeans, particularly those in the Netherlands, tend to be the tallest. It references data from WorldData.info to support these claims, noting that the average height for Dutch men is 1.84m and for women is 1.70m. The piece also touches on the scientific reasoning behind these disparities, citing Allen's Rule, which suggests that animals in colder climates have larger bodies to minimize heat loss. Additionally, the article points out that a higher standard of living, including better nutrition, contributes to increased height. It concludes by inviting readers to subscribe for more articles and consider writing on Medium, sharing the author's own success story of earning $3400 in a month.

Opinions

The author finds comparisons of physical attributes like height fascinating and believes they reveal interesting social insights.
The article implies that social comparison is a natural human tendency, as evidenced by the popularity of articles comparing average measurements such as penis size, net worth, and height.
The author suggests that the combination of a temperate climate and a high standard of living, particularly in European countries, is a key factor in the tall stature of their populations.
The author posits that the smallest people in the world tend to come from warm and poor countries, hinting at a correlation between economic status and physical growth.
The author encourages readers to engage further by subscribing to their Medium articles and potentially becoming a Medium writer themselves, hinting at the financial benefits of writing on the platform.

It is fascinating how big the differences are

We as humans have the need to constantly compare ourselves with others.

People constantly evaluate themselves, and others, in domains like attractiveness, wealth, intelligence, and success. According to some studies, as much as 10 percent of our thoughts involve comparisons of some kind. Social comparison theory is the idea that individuals determine their own social and personal worth based on how they stack up against others.

A thing that confirms this is that the following two articles are among my most viewed ones:

I also find such comparisons very interesting. Therefore, in this article, you will find the average sizes by country and a scientific attempt to explain why there are such big differences.

Europeans Are The Tallest

If you look at the data, you quickly realize that Europeans are significantly larger than the inhabitants of the other continents.

The country with the highest average height, for both men and women, is the Netherlands. Dutch men are on average 1.84m and Dutch women are on average 1.70m.

The second place goes to Montenegro. The average heights there are 1.83m for men and 1.70 for women.

For other countries you can find the following average heights:

Denmark: 1.83m and 1.69m

Estonia: 1.82m/ 1.68m

Sweden: 1.80m/ 1.67m

Norway: 1.80m/ 1.66m

Ukraine: 1.80m/ 1.66m

Germany: 1.80m/ 1.66m

Australia: 1.79m/ 1.65m

Canada: 1.78m/ 1.65m

France: 1.78m/ 1.65m

United Kingdom: 1.78m/ 1.64m

USA: 1.77m/ 1.63m

Russia: 1.76m/ 1.63m

China: 1.75m/ 1.63m

Japan: 1.72/ 1.58m

Yemen: 1.63m/ 1.54m

Laos: 1.62m/ 1.53m

Timor-Leste: 1.59m/ 1.52

Why Are There Such Big Differences?

One factor that affects the size of people is the climate they live in. People in warmer countries tend to be smaller on average. This can be explained by the so-called Allen’s Rule.

Allen’s rule is an ecogeographical rule formulated by Joel Asaph Allen in 1877,[2][3] broadly stating that animals adapted to cold climates have thicker limbs and bodily appendages than animals adapted to warm climates. More specifically, it states that the body surface-area-to-volume ratio for homeothermic animals varies with the average temperature of the habitat to which they are adapted (i.e. the ratio is low in cold climates and high in hot climates). — Wikipedia

In addition, the standard of living affects the size of people very much, because especially a good diet is very important for growth.

Based on these two factors, it is easy to see why the tallest people come from Europe. The climate is not too warm and the European countries are quite rich. Why the smallest people in the world live in warm and poor countries also becomes obvious.

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