Is the World Getting Taller? This May Surprise You

At 6’9”, I’ve always stood out—whether I was playing college basketball in the USA or walking the streets of my hometown in the Netherlands. Lately, though, I’ve noticed something: it feels like there are more tall people around than ever before. I’m not ducking through doorways alone anymore! But is this just my imagination, or is the world actually getting taller? As the founder of TFT Designs, where we make dress shirts for tall folks who don’t fit the “big and tall” stereotype, I’d love it if there were more tall people now than ever. I decided to dig into the stats and see what’s really going on. Let’s break down the numbers, some surprising trends, and what it all means for us tall people.

The Big Picture: Are Humans Getting Taller?

Historically, yes—humans have been getting taller over the past century, largely due to better nutrition and living conditions. A comprehensive 2016 study by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, which analyzed height data from over 18.6 million people across 200 countries, found that the global average height for men and women born in 1996 was about 10 centimeters (roughly 4 inches) taller than those born in 1896. That’s a solid 5% increase in just 100 years! South Korean women saw the biggest jump, growing 20.2 cm (7.9 inches) on average, while Iranian men gained 16.5 cm (6.5 inches). Here in the Netherlands, where I’m from, we’ve long been the tallest nation—Dutch men born in the late 20th century average 182.5 cm (just under 6 feet), according to the same study.

But the trend isn’t universal. While places like East Asia have seen massive height gains, some regions are stalling or even shrinking (disclaimer as always: love you all, short kings). In sub-Saharan Africa, average heights have dropped by as much as 5 cm in countries like Uganda and Sierra Leone since the 1970s, despite global health improvements. Researchers point to economic challenges and malnutrition as culprits—when kids don’t get enough nutrients, they don’t reach their full height potential. (Maybe next we should think about what nutrition makes us taller.) Meanwhile, in the U.S., heights peaked in the late 1980s and 1990s, with American men now ranking 37th globally at about 5’9” and women 42nd at 5’4”, according to a 2024 report by The Week. That’s a drop from being among the tallest in 1914—poor nutrition and rising inequality are likely to blame.

What About the Dutch? Are We Still the Tallest?

As a Dutchman, I’m proud of our reputation as the tallest people on Earth—but even that’s changing. A 2021 report from Statistics Netherlands found that Dutch men born in 2001 are 1 cm shorter on average than those born in 1980, and women are down 1.4 cm. We’re still the tallest nation, with men averaging just over 6 feet and women around 5’6”, but the growth has stalled. Some experts speculate this could be due to shifts in diet—like more fast food and fewer nutrients—or even increased immigration of shorter populations. Others, like Gert Stulp from the University of Groningen, suggest it might be a sign we’ve hit a biological ceiling. After all, humans can only get so tall before health issues like joint problems kick in.

Why Are Some Places Getting Taller While Others Aren’t?

The main driver of height increases is nutrition, especially in childhood. A 1998 article from Scientific American explains that the global height boom started in the mid-19th century, thanks to better food access and fewer diseases. But it’s not just about eating more—it’s about eating better. In South Korea, for example, economic growth and improved diets led to that massive 20.2 cm jump for women. On the flip side, places like the U.S. are seeing stagnation because of inequality. A 2024 piece in The Week notes that while Americans consume plenty of calories, they’re often “low-quality”—think processed foods over nutrient-rich meals. That leads to obesity, early puberty, and stunted growth, not taller adults.

Genetics play a role too, but they don’t explain recent trends. Evolution takes generations, and these height changes are happening too fast to be purely genetic. Instead, it’s about environment—better healthcare, fewer childhood illnesses, and access to protein-rich diets. Interestingly, a 2021 study in Nature found a brain receptor called MC3R that links nutrition to growth, essentially telling the body, “We’ve got food, so grow tall!” But if the food isn’t there, or it’s the wrong kind, that signal doesn’t fire as strongly.

What Does This Mean for Tall Folks Like Us?

So, am I right that there are more tall people now? Kind of. Globally, the average height has gone up over the past century, so there are indeed more tall people overall—especially in places like the Netherlands and South Korea. But the trend is slowing in many wealthy countries, and some are even shrinking. At the same time, I think that malnutrition is something that’s being tackled pretty hard in Europe and the USA, so I’m hopeful we can get more tall people. And as a tall guy, I’m glad to see more people in my height bracket—it means more of us are demanding solutions for our unique challenges, driving brands to accommodate us, like finding clothes that fit. That’s where TFT Designs comes in. We’re here for the tall, slim folks who don’t fit the “big and tall” mold, offering dress shirts that are long where they need to be and tailored where they should be.

What do you think—are you noticing more tall people around? And if you’re tall, what’s the one thing you wish brands would get right for us? Drop a comment below, and check out TFT Designs for shirts that finally fit. Let’s keep standing tall—whether the world keeps growing or not!

Sources: Used data from eLife (2016), The Guardian (2021), The Week (2024), Scientific American (1998), and Nature (2021) to ground the stats and trends.