The global average height of an adult woman is 159 cm, or 5 feet 3 inches. That figure comes from the most comprehensive international height study to date, which tracked measurements across hundreds of countries for women born in 1996 and measured at age 18. Of course, averages vary significantly depending on where you live, your genetic background, and your age.
Average Height by Country
Where a woman grows up has a dramatic effect on how tall she’s likely to be. Latvian women are the tallest on the planet, with an average height of 170 cm (5 feet 7 inches). Women in the Netherlands, Estonia, and the Czech Republic are close behind, all averaging above 168 cm. At the other end of the spectrum, women from Guatemala have the lowest average at 149 cm (4 feet 11 inches). That’s a 20 cm gap, roughly 8 inches, between the tallest and shortest populations.
In the United States, the average adult woman stands about 161.7 cm, or just under 5 feet 4 inches. That places American women slightly above the global average but well below Northern European countries. CDC data collected between 2015 and 2016 through national health surveys put the crude average for women 20 and older at 161.5 cm, with an age-adjusted figure of 161.7 cm. American women’s average height has held essentially steady since the late 1990s, barely shifting by a few millimeters over nearly two decades of measurement.
How Much Taller Have Women Gotten?
A century ago, Swedish women were the tallest in the world at an average of 160.3 cm. Guatemalan women averaged 140.3 cm. That same 20 cm gap between the tallest and shortest populations exists today, but the countries filling those spots have shifted. The gains over the past hundred years have been uneven. South Korean women experienced the single largest increase of any population: women born in 1996 grew to be about 20 cm taller than those born in 1896. That’s nearly 8 inches of height gained in just four generations, driven largely by rapid improvements in nutrition and living standards.
Not every country saw such dramatic changes. Some populations in Sub-Saharan Africa actually got slightly shorter during periods of famine or economic instability. The overall story, though, is one of growth. Better childhood nutrition, fewer infectious diseases, and improved sanitation have allowed more women around the world to reach their full genetic height potential.
Genetics vs. Nutrition
About 80 percent of your height is determined by the DNA you inherited from your parents. Scientists have identified thousands of genetic variants that each nudge height up or down by small amounts. The remaining 20 percent comes from environmental factors, with nutrition during childhood and adolescence playing the biggest role. Chronic malnutrition, frequent childhood infections, and limited access to healthcare can prevent someone from reaching the height their genes would otherwise allow.
This is why population averages shift over time even though the underlying gene pool doesn’t change much. When a country improves its food supply and public health infrastructure, the next generation of children tends to grow taller. It also explains why children of immigrants often end up taller than their parents if they grow up with better nutrition.
Height Loss With Age
If you’re over 40, you may already be shorter than your peak adult height. People typically lose about 1 cm (roughly half an inch) every decade after age 40. The loss comes from compression of the discs between your vertebrae, changes in posture, and gradual loss of bone density. By age 70 or 80, a woman may have lost 2 to 3 inches from her tallest measurement. This is one reason national health surveys report both crude and age-adjusted height figures: older adults in the sample pull the overall average down slightly.
What Your Height May Mean for Health
A large genetic study through the VA Million Veteran Program found that height is linked to the risk of more than 100 different medical conditions. The relationship cuts both ways. Being taller appears to protect against several cardiovascular problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and coronary heart disease. But taller people face higher risk for atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart rhythm), varicose veins, blood clots in the veins, and peripheral nerve disorders.
For women specifically, greater height was associated with increased risk of asthma and certain nerve-related conditions. Taller individuals also showed higher rates of skin and bone infections, chronic leg ulcers, and foot deformities, likely related to the greater mechanical stress that longer limbs place on the body. None of these links mean that being tall or short is inherently unhealthy. They’re statistical patterns across large populations, and individual risk depends on many factors beyond height alone.