What is the average American male’s height?
As of the time of this writing, American has a population of over 332.4 million. The male population accounts for around 49.1%.
According to United States Bureau of Statistics, average height for an American male is 176 cm in 2024.
Compare American men’s height with other countries’
An average American man’s height is considered relatively tall compared with other countries in the world. Recent years’ male height ranking data (2009-2019) shows American men’s height has gone from 41st place to 47th place, slightly dropped 6 position in the world men’s height ranking. Average height has grown from 175.5 cm to 177.0 cm in 10 years period. The growth rate is very modest compared with the rest of the world.
Looking at the raw data table below, it is not hard to find that European countries dominate the average male height ranking in the world. However, USA is not far behind. The difference between the Netherlands and USA is only about 5 cm. Another interesting factor is that the average male height in Asian countries is relatively shorter than in European countries.
| Country | Average height |
| Netherlands | 184 cm |
| Montenegro | 183 cm |
| Estonia | 182 cm |
| Denmark | 182 cm |
| Sweden | 180 cm |
| Norway | 180 cm |
| Lithuania | 180 cm |
| Poland | 180 cm |
| Ukraine | 180 cm |
| Finland | 180 cm |
| Latvia | 180 cm |
| Bermuda | 179 cm |
| Greece | 179 cm |
| Puerto Rico | 179 cm |
| Switzerland | 179 cm |
| Australia | 179 cm |
| Ireland | 179 cm |
| Canada | 178 cm |
| United Kingdom | 178 cm |
| Romania | 177 cm |
| New Zealand | 177 cm |
| USA | 177 cm |
| Kenya | 1.70 m |
| Nigeria | 1.70 m |
| Ghana | 1.69 m |
| Nauru | 1.69 m |
| Micronesia | 1.69 m |
| South Africa | 1.69 m |
| Malaysia | 1.68 m |
| Central Africa | 1.68 m |
| Vietnam | 1.68 m |
What are the health issues associated with height?
Being too short or too tall can have a lot of health risks. People who are too short are at risk of developing scoliosis and other spinal problems, while people who are too tall are more susceptible to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
A person’s height is not the most important factor in their life. It is, however, a very important factor in their health. A taller person will require less effort to maintain a healthy weight and have better cardiovascular health.
What are the factors that will impact a male’s height?
There are many factors that can affect height, and it is important to understand how they work to fully grasp how height is determined.
A person’s body grows because of several processes that are regulated by hormones and DNA. The growth plates in a person’s bones are responsible for increasing height, yet these plates can only extend so far before stopping. As a result, some people cease developing at various phases of their lives more than others. According to data, elderly people are shorter on average than younger adults.
Genes are not the sole element that influences a person’s height. There are several lifestyle factors that contribute to some boys’ inability to grow taller.
- Some of these reasons include:
- Poor nutrition can lead to stunted growth.
- Lack of physical activity, which can lead to a lack of muscle mass.
- Poor posture and sitting habits.
- Stress in early childhood
References
United States Bureau of Statistics: https://www.census.gov/
NCD Risk Factor: https://ncdrisc.org/height-mean-ranking.html