How tall are Dutch people?

Men born in the Netherlands in 2001 were on average 182.9 cm at the age of 19. Women born in that same year were 169.3 cm. Men born in 2001 are on average 1 cm shorter than the generation from 1980, women on average 1.4 cm.

Men born in 1930 were 175.6 cm tall on average, the generation of men from 1980 attained a height of 183.9 cm. In other words, they have grown an average of 8.3 cm taller in fifty years. Women have also grown considerably taller. The generation of women from 1930 attained an average height of 165.4 cm; women born in 1980 grew to 170.7 cm, almost 5.3 cm taller. Since then, the growth in height has stopped. Men born in 2001 were on average 1 cm shorter than the generation from 1980, women on average 1.4 cm. This population shrinkage is partly linked to the increased immigration of new populations of shorter height and their children born here. That said, the growth in height also halted among generations with Dutch-born parents.

Show datatableDevelopment of average height by year of birth (Height at age 19 in cm¹⁾)Hide datatableDevelopment of average height by year of birth (Height at age 19 in cm¹⁾)

Development of average height by year of birth (Height at age 19 in cm¹⁾)

birth year	Men	Women
1930	175.6	165.4
1931	175.6	166.0
1932	175.7	166.0
1933	176.5	166.6
1934	176.2	166.0
1935	176.3	165.7
1936	176.3	165.7
1937	176.6	165.9
1938	176.5	166.1
1939	177.2	166.3
1940	177.3	166.0
1941	177.5	166.2
1942	177.6	166.4
1943	177.6	166.6
1944	178.0	166.5
1945	178.0	166.5
1946	178.8	166.7
1947	179.0	166.8
1948	179.2	166.9
1949	179.6	167.0
1950	179.4	166.8
1951	179.9	167.0
1952	179.9	167.0
1953	180.1	167.2
1954	180.4	167.4
1955	180.8	167.6
1956	181.0	167.7
1957	181.1	167.9
1958	181.4	168.0
1959	181.6	168.2
1960	181.7	168.5
1961	181.8	168.6
1962	182.0	168.6
1963	182.1	168.9
1964	182.5	169.1
1965	182.8	169.3
1966	183.0	169.6
1967	183.1	169.7
1968	183.3	169.9
1969	183.4	170.1
1970	183.5	170.1
1971	183.5	170.2
1972	183.4	170.2
1973	183.5	170.2
1974	183.6	170.3
1975	183.5	170.4
1976	183.8	170.4
1977	183.8	170.4
1978	183.5	170.6
1979	183.8	170.7
1980	183.9	170.7
1981	183.7	170.3
1982	183.8	170.5
1983	183.6	170.4
1984	183.4	170.3
1985	183.4	170.2
1986	183.4	170.0
1987	183.3	170.0
1988	183.4	169.9
1989	183.3	169.8
1990	183.4	169.7
1991	183.1	169.8
1992	183.1	169.5
1993	183.2	169.5
1994	183.2	169.4
1995	183.3	169.6
1996	182.8	169.5
1997	183.2	169.5
1998	183.3	169.5
1999	183.6	169.5
2000	183.4	169.5
2001	182.9	169.3
1)The figures for the latest cohort (birth year 2001) thus give the average height for 19-year-olds in 2020.

Tall Frisians, short Limburgians

There is a strikingly large height difference between people from the north and the south of the Netherlands. This difference in height has existed for years. The height difference between a young Frisian and a young person from Limburg remains stable between 3 and 3.5 cm for men and around 3 cm for women. Men and women from Limburg are the shortest Dutch people, followed by residents from Brabant and Zeeland. The tallest people of the Netherlands can be found in the provinces of Groningen, Fryslân, Drenthe and Overijssel.

Dutch people continue to be the tallest population

The growth spurt of Dutch men in the last century is impressive considering their height at the time. In fact, at the beginning of the 19th century, they were quite short in terms of height, but from 1840 onwards they began to grow rapidly. It is estimated that the first generation of both Dutch men and women to reach the status of the world’s tallest was born in the late 1950s.

The current generation, born in 2000, still holds this status. Young men are estimated to be tallest in the Netherlands, Montenegro, Estonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, while 19‑year-old women are tallest in the Netherlands, Montenegro, Denmark and Iceland.

Show datatableThe Netherlands in the global height ranking, 200 countries¹⁾Hide datatableThe Netherlands in the global height ranking, 200 countries¹⁾

The Netherlands in the global height ranking, 200 countries¹⁾

year of birth	Men	Women
1900	10	32
1901	9	30
1902	9	29
1903	9	26
1904	9	26
1905	8	24
1906	8	22
1907	6	21
1908	6	19
1909	6	18
1910	6	14
1911	6	12
1912	6	11
1913	5	11
1914	5	10
1915	5	10
1916	5	7
1917	5	6
1918	4	6
1919	4	6
1920	4	6
1921	4	6
1922	4	6
1923	4	4
1924	4	4
1925	4	4
1926	4	4
1927	4	4
1928	4	4
1929	4	4
1930	3	4
1931	3	4
1932	3	2
1933	3	2
1934	3	2
1935	3	2
1936	3	2
1937	2	2
1938	2	2
1939	2	2
1940	2	2
1941	2	2
1942	2	2
1943	2	2
1944	2	2
1945	2	2
1946	2	2
1947	2	2
1948	2	2
1949	2	2
1950	2	2
1951	2	2
1952	2	2
1953	2	2
1954	2	2
1955	2	2
1956	2	2
1957	2	1
1958	1	1
1959	1	1
1960	1	1
1961	1	1
1962	1	1
1963	1	1
1964	1	1
1965	1	1
1966	2	1
1967	2	1
1968	1	1
1969	1	1
1970	1	1
1971	1	1
1972	1	1
1973	1	1
1974	1	1
1975	1	1
1976	1	1
1977	1	1
1978	1	1
1979	1	1
1980	1	1
1981	1	1
1982	1	1
1983	1	1
1984	1	1
1985	1	1
1986	1	1
1987	1	1
1988	1	1
1989	1	1
1990	1	1
1991	1	1
1992	1	1
1993	1	1
1994	1	1
1995	1	1
1996	1	1
1997	1	1
1998	1	1
1999	1	1
2000	1	1
1) Height ranking at age 18 (1900-1966) and age 19 (1966-2000).

The questions

1. How does CBS collect data?
2. How much do we cycle per week on average?
3. Who are most likely to work part-time?
4. How many people visited Bonaire by cruise ship?
5. Are people happy with the house they live in?
6. How many young women encounter street harassment?
7. What do the over-65s do online?
8. How many wind turbines in the Netherlands?
9. How far is school by bike?
10. How many museums are there?
11. How much electricity in the Caribbean Netherlands is renewable?
12. How many adults are overweight?
13. How many cargo ships dock at Dutch seaports?
14. What did we listen to on the radio in 1953?
15. What is the average lifespan in the Netherlands?
16. Where did we go for a holiday in 1947?
17. How much fish is landed?
18. Where were people in the Netherlands born?
19. What do we spend money on?
20. How old are Dutch first-time mothers on average?
21. How much cheese do we produce?
22. How are goods transported through the Netherlands?
23. How many people fall victim to cybercrime?
24. What is the most spoken language or dialect at home?
25. How many shops are there?
26. What is the value of Dutch beer exports?
27. How often do we have a goosebump moment?
28. How many cows graze in fields?
29. What are the most popular majors?
30. How tall are Dutch people?
31. How is the urban bird population doing?
32. Where do most people work?
33. What colour is our car?
34. How does CBS handle your privacy?