What is the average height for a 19 year old male?
Worldwide, the average 19 year old man was 170.8 cm tall in 2019, or about 5 ft 7 in. That figure comes from the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC), a network of health scientists who pooled 2,181 population based studies with measured heights for 65 million people in 200 countries and territories, published in The Lancet in 2020 [1][2].
Where you live makes a big difference. A typical 19 year old man in the UK is 178.2 cm (5 ft 10.2 in), and in the US 176.9 cm (5 ft 9.7 in) [1]. In the Netherlands, the tallest country, the average is 183.8 cm (6 ft 0.4 in). In Timor-Leste, the shortest, it is 160.1 cm (5 ft 3.0 in) [1]. That is a gap of nearly 24 cm between the two ends of the table.
These are modelled averages with a margin of error, not a single national census. For the UK the 95% uncertainty range runs from 177.6 to 178.8 cm; for the Netherlands it is wider, from 181.5 to 186.2 cm [1].
Average height for a 19 year old male by country
The figures below are NCD-RisC’s 2019 estimates for 19 year old boys, from its published country data file [1]. Feet and inches are our conversion.
| Country | Average height (cm) | Feet and inches |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 183.8 | 6 ft 0.4 in |
| Montenegro | 183.3 | 6 ft 0.2 in |
| Estonia | 182.8 | 6 ft 0.0 in |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 182.5 | 5 ft 11.8 in |
| Iceland | 182.1 | 5 ft 11.7 in |
| Denmark | 181.9 | 5 ft 11.6 in |
| Germany | 180.3 | 5 ft 11.0 in |
| Ireland | 179.0 | 5 ft 10.5 in |
| Australia | 178.8 | 5 ft 10.4 in |
| Canada | 178.7 | 5 ft 10.4 in |
| France | 178.6 | 5 ft 10.3 in |
| United Kingdom | 178.2 | 5 ft 10.2 in |
| United States | 176.9 | 5 ft 9.7 in |
| Spain | 176.1 | 5 ft 9.3 in |
| Brazil | 175.7 | 5 ft 9.2 in |
| China | 175.7 | 5 ft 9.2 in |
| South Korea | 175.5 | 5 ft 9.1 in |
| Italy | 174.4 | 5 ft 8.7 in |
| Japan | 172.1 | 5 ft 7.7 in |
| Nigeria | 171.6 | 5 ft 7.5 in |
| Mexico | 170.3 | 5 ft 7.0 in |
| Pakistan | 167.3 | 5 ft 5.9 in |
| India | 166.5 | 5 ft 5.6 in |
| Indonesia | 166.3 | 5 ft 5.5 in |
| Bangladesh | 165.1 | 5 ft 5.0 in |
| Papua New Guinea | 163.1 | 5 ft 4.2 in |
| Lao PDR | 162.8 | 5 ft 4.1 in |
| Timor-Leste | 160.1 | 5 ft 3.0 in |
Where are 19 year old men tallest and shortest?
As the map above shows, the tallest young men live in northern and central Europe. The Lancet study names the Netherlands, Montenegro, Estonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina as the four tallest countries for 19 year old boys [2]. Iceland, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovakia and Slovenia complete the top ten, all above 180.9 cm [1].
The shortest averages are in South and Southeast Asia, the Pacific and parts of Central America and Africa. The four shortest countries for 19 year old boys are Timor-Leste, Laos, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, and the study found a gap of 20 cm or more between the tallest and shortest countries [2]. Guatemala (164.4 cm) and Mozambique (164.3 cm) are also below 165 cm [1].
The big English speaking countries sit in the upper middle. Canada, Australia, Ireland and the UK are all between 178 and 179 cm, with the US a little lower at 176.9 cm [1].
What is a normal height for a 19 year old male?
There is a wide normal range around the average. In the US, doctors use the CDC growth charts, which run to age 20. On those charts the median (50th percentile) height for a boy of 19 is 176.6 cm (5 ft 9.5 in) [3]. The 5th percentile is 164.8 cm (5 ft 4.9 in) and the 95th is 188.3 cm (6 ft 2.1 in), so nine in ten 19 year old men fall between roughly 5 ft 5 in and 6 ft 2 in [3].
Being outside that range is not a problem on its own. Height runs in families, so a short or tall 19 year old is often simply in line with his parents.
For comparison, the average American man aged 20 and over measures 68.9 inches, or 175.0 cm, in the CDC’s national survey [4]. That is slightly below the figure for 19 year olds, which fits with heights having risen over time (see below).
Do men still grow after 19?
Most men are at or very close to their adult height by 19. MedlinePlus, the US National Library of Medicine’s health site, says boys’ growth spurt peaks at around 13 and a half and slows around age 18 [5].
The data shows how little is left by then. On NCD-RisC’s estimates, the average UK boy is 177.1 cm at 17, 177.9 cm at 18 and 178.2 cm at 19 [1]. On the CDC charts the median rises by only about 0.2 cm between 19 and 20 [3]. Some late developers keep growing for a little longer, but a gain of more than a centimetre or two after 19 is unusual.
Why are young men taller than they used to be?
Average heights have risen in most of the world over the past few decades. Globally, the average 19 year old man was 168.0 cm in 1985 and 170.8 cm in 2019, a gain of nearly 3 cm in 34 years [1].
The biggest rises were in East Asia and the Gulf. Over that period the average 19 year old in China grew from 167.6 cm to 175.7 cm, a gain of 8 cm, the largest of any country in the data. Saudi Arabia gained 7.7 cm and South Korea 6.8 cm [1]. In the UK the rise was smaller, from 176.4 cm to 178.2 cm, and in the US just over 1 cm, from 175.7 cm to 176.9 cm [1].
In a few countries young men are now shorter than in 1985, including the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, both down by about 2.5 cm [1]. The researchers say these very different paths point to differences in the quality of children’s nutrition, which carries health advantages or risks for life [2].
Questions about the average height for a 19 year old male
What is the average height for a 19 year old male in the UK?
178.2 cm, or about 5 ft 10 in, on NCD-RisC’s 2019 estimate [1]. That is above the global average of 170.8 cm and a little above the US average of 176.9 cm.
Is 6 foot tall for a 19 year old?
Yes, a little. 6 ft is 182.9 cm. On the CDC growth chart for a boy of 19, that is taller than about 81% of his age group [3]. It is close to the average in the Netherlands (183.8 cm), the tallest country [1].
Is 5 ft 7 in short for a 19 year old male?
It depends where you are. 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) is almost exactly the global average of 170.8 cm [1]. In the US it is below average, at about the 18th percentile on the CDC chart for a 19 year old [3], and in the UK it is about 8 cm under the national average [1].
How tall is the average 19 year old woman?
Globally the average 19 year old woman was 158.6 cm (5 ft 2 in) in 2019. In the UK the figure is 163.9 cm and in the US 163.3 cm [1].
Which country has the tallest 19 year old men?
The Netherlands, at an average of 183.8 cm (about 6 ft 0.4 in), followed by Montenegro (183.3 cm), Estonia (182.8 cm) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (182.5 cm) [1][2].
Sources
- NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, height data downloads, global and country child and adolescent files (boys and girls aged 17 to 19, 1985 and 2019).
- NCD-RisC, Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories, The Lancet, 2020.
- CDC, stature-for-age growth chart data, ages 2 to 20 (boys, 19.0 to 20.0 years).
- CDC National Center for Health Statistics, FastStats: body measurements (adults aged 20 and over).
- MedlinePlus, Adolescent development.
Last reviewed 3 November 2026
