Study: Average Male Height

The average man measures 5 feet 9 inches in the United States. But the US ranks 37th in average height in the world. Read on to see how the average U.S. male stands up to the rest of the world.

© Franck Michel (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr

Looking Closely at Average Male Height

• What is the average height of a male aged 20 and over in the United States?
  The average male over 20 years old measures 69.2 inches, or 5 feet 9 inches. This takes into consideration all males between the ages of 20 and up from all races.

• What is the average height of a male teenager?
  The average 16-year-old (the median age for a teenager) is 5 feet 7 inches. This is just shy of the average height of all men aged 20 and over.

• What is the average height of a male over 60?
  As you age, you may begin to lose a little bit of your height. The average male between 60 and 69 years old measures 69 inches, which isn't a lot of height loss. However, as men continue to age, they have an average height of just 67.6 inches at ages 80 and over.

The Average Height of Male Teenagers

• What is the average height of a 14-year-old boy?
  The average 14-year-old boy measures 66.7 inches, or 5 feet 7 inches. 14-year-old males in the 5th percentile of the average measure 5 feet tall. 14-year-old males in the 90th percentile measure 5 feet 9 inches.

• What height is considered tall for a 16-year-old boy?
  Boys in the 95th percentile of the average 16-year-old measure 6 feet 1 inch.

• When do teen boys stop growing taller?
  Teen boys can continue to grow slightly taller until they reach 19 or 20 years old. The average 19-year-old male measures 69.4 inches.. This is just a 0.3-inch growth from the age of 18, though, so it's not a tremendous growth spurt.

The Average Height of Young Boys

• How tall is the average 2-year-old boy?
  The average 2-year-old boy measures 36.3 inches, or just over 3 feet tall. However, they don't stay this little for long. In just four short years, at the age of 6, the average boy is 4 feet tall.

• How tall is the average 10-year-old boy?
  By the time boys are 10 years old, they measure an average of 4 feet 7 inches tall.

• When do boys have the largest growth spurt on average?
  The average boy grows the most between the ages of 3 and 4. The average boy grows from 3 feet 3 inches to 3 feet 6 inches in one year.

Average Male Height by Race

• What is the average height of an African American man aged 20 and over?
  The average African American male over 20 years old measures 69.5 inches, or 5 feet 10 inches.

• What is the average height of an Asian male aged 20 and over?
  The average Asian male over 20 years old measures 67 inches, or 5 feet 7 inches. Breaking it down by age, Asian men have the shortest average height after the age of 60. Asian men measure an average of 65.2 inches at this time.

• What is the average height of an Hispanic male aged 20 and over?
  Hispanic men over the age of 20 measure an average of 67.4 inches. By the time the average Hispanic man reaches age 60 and over, though, they measure an average of 66 inches.

Average Height Around the World

• Which country has the tallest average men?
  The Netherlands wins the prize for the tallest men on average. Men in this country measure 71.9 inches, or just about 6 feet tall. This is 4 inches taller than the average American man.

• Which country has the shortest average male?
  Timor-Leste has held the category of the shortest average male for more than 100 years. Men in this country are an average of 62 inches tall. In the United States, that's equivalent to the average 12 or 13-year-old boy.

• How does the average American male's height compare to others in the world?
  The United States is 37th in line when comparing the average male height. This might not seem alarming, but given the fact that the U.S. was 3rd in line 100 years ago, it doesn't bode well for American men.

• Why are Americans getting "shorter"?
  While it might not be the sole culprit, nutrition plays a large factor. Today, one out of every five children are obese. Since nutrition plays a role in a person's height along with inherited genes, it could be part of the reason American is "shrinking."

The Weight of the Average Male

• What is the average weight of males aged 20 and over?
  Today, the average male aged 20 and over weighs 195.7 pounds.

• At what age do men have the highest average weight?
  Call it a mid-life crisis, but men weigh an average of 201.7 pounds between the ages of 40 and 49. This is 15 pounds more than the average male in his 20s, and 27 pounds more than the average male in his 80s.

• At what age does the average man start losing weight?
  Just like height, it seems as if the average male really starts dropping weight when he is in his 80s. The average weight for a male 80 and over is just 174.6 pounds.

Fun Facts

• Who is the tallest man in the world?
  The tallest man in the world is from the United States. Robert Wadlow measured 8 feet 11 inches tall.

• Who is the shortest man in the world?
  The shortest man in the world lived in Nepal. Chandra Bahadur Dangi measured just 21 inches. This is the height of many newborn babies in the United States!

Americans stack up well when comparing the average height of a male. While there's not a lot you can do about your height, taking care of your health can help promote healthier and taller generations to come.

Sources and References:

• Anthropometric Reference Data for Children and Adults
  
• eLife
  
• Guinness Book of World Records
  
• Guinness Book of World Records