Asia has 14 of the world’s top 25 shortest countries – can you guess who’s No 1?

Studies have found around a 20cm difference between children in the tallest and shortest nations. Environmental factors are a major determinant

Of the other 11 countries with the shortest populations, 5 are in Africa, 3 in Central and South America, 2 in the Pacific and 1 in the Middle East

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A girl uses her hand to measure her height. Average heights in several nations have both risen and fallen over recent decades. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 12:32pm, 13 Jun 2023

Worldwide, scientists have found that there’s around a 20cm, or 7.8 inch, difference between the average height of a child in the tallest and shortest countries, according to the BBC.

When it comes to adults, in countries like the Netherlands – ranked as the tallest on Earth – the average person towers as high as 175.62cm (5 feet 7.96 inches). But at the other end of the scale, the average height is considerably lower.

Below is a ranking of average height data compiled using a 2020 medical database run by NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, a project linked to Imperial College London. It lists separate figures for male and female heights for each country.

An average of those two figures was taken to get a rough idea of the average height of a person in each country. The separate figures for men and women are also listed.

Here are the 25 countries with the shortest average populations:

People watch a sunset at the Galle Face Seafront in Colombo earlier this month. Sri Lankans stand 160.12cm tall, on average. Photo: EPA-EFE

25. Sri Lanka

The average Sri Lankan is 160.12cm (5 feet 3.04 inches) tall.

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