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Mapped: The World’s Top 20 Tallest Countries
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This graphic ranks the 20 tallest countries in the world, by average height. Data comes from NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, compiled by Business Insider.
Important to note, these rankings are based on average person height (men and women combined). For context, the global average height of a human is 5 feet 4 inches.
Ranking the Top 20 Countries by Average Height
With an average height of 6 feet for men and 5 feet 7 inches for women, the Netherlands is the tallest country in the world.
A quick look at the rankings reveal that many of the tallest countries are found in Northern and Eastern Europe.
| Rank | Country | Average Man | Average Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇳🇱 The Netherlands | 6′ 0.4″ (183.8 cm) | 5′ 7.1″ (170.4 cm) |
| 2 | 🇲🇪 Montenegro | 6′ 0.2″ (183.3 cm) | 5′ 6.9″ (170.0 cm) |
| 3 | 🇪🇪 Estonia | 5′ 12.0″ (182.8 cm) | 5′ 6.4″ (168.7 cm) |
| 4 | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 5′ 11.6″ (181.9 cm) | 5′ 6.7″ (169.5 cm) |
| 5 | 🇮🇸 Iceland | 5′ 11.7″ (182.1 cm) | 5′ 6.5″ (168.9 cm) |
| 6 | 🇱🇻 Latvia | 5′ 11.3″ (181.2 cm) | 5′ 6.5″ (168.8 cm) |
| 7 | 🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina | 5′ 11.9″ (182.5 cm) | 5′ 5.9″ (167.5 cm) |
| 8 | 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | 5′ 11.3″ (181.2 cm) | 5′ 6.1″ (168.0 cm) |
| 9 | 🇷🇸 Serbia | 5′ 11.1″ (180.7 cm) | 5′ 6.3″ (168.3 cm) |
| 10 | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 5′ 11.1″ (180.7 cm) | 5′ 6.0″ (167.6 cm) |
| 11 | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 5′ 11.3″ (181.0 cm) | 5′ 5.8″ (167.2 cm) |
| 12 | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | 5′ 11.3″ (181.0 cm) | 5′ 5.8″ (167.1 cm) |
| 13 | 🇭🇷 Croatia | 5′ 11.2″ (180.8 cm) | 5′ 5.7″ (166.8 cm) |
| 14 | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 5′ 11.3″ (181.0 cm) | 5′ 5.6″ (166.6 cm) |
| 15 | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 5′ 11.1″ (180.5 cm) | 5′ 5.6″ (166.7 cm) |
| 16 | 🇩🇲 Dominica | 5′ 10.9″ (180.2 cm) | 5′ 5.7″ (166.9 cm) |
| 17 | 🇫🇮 Finland | 5′ 11.1″ (180.6 cm) | 5′ 5.6″ (166.5 cm) |
| 18 | 🇳🇴 Norway | 5′ 11.1″ (180.5 cm) | 5′ 5.5″ (166.4 cm) |
| 19 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 5′ 11.0″ (180.3 cm) | 5′ 5.4″ (166.2 cm) |
| 19 | 🇵🇱 Poland | 5′ 11.1″ (180.7 cm) | 5′ 5.3″ (165.8 cm) |
Understanding why is a little bit more complicated. Environmental factors, along with nutrition and access to healthcare—which is often better in wealthier countries—plays a part.
For example, the Netherlands has historically prospered through maritime trade, giving its population access to high-quality, nutrient-rich diets over a longer period of time than other countries in the world.
Meanwhile, Northern European diets are rich in milk and meat, heavy in calcium and protein. Both are crucial building blocks for muscle and bone.
At the same time, scientists estimate that about 80% of an individual’s height is determined by genetics—though it’s less clear exactly how they work.
Nevertheless, parts of Eastern Europe, especially in the Dinaric Alps (which includes Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia), have been identified as having genetic traits that favor taller statures.
Learn More on the Voronoi App 
Wondering who’s on the other side of the spectrum? Check out the World’s Shortest Countries. Spoiler: there’s some geographic clustering there as well.