Why Are The Dutch So Tall? and What is Average Dutch Height?

The Dutch people are remarkably tall, and if you visit The Netherlands, you’ll notice that the average height there seems higher than in any other nation. Are Dutch people really the tallest in the world?

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The Dutch are the tallest people in the world, according to three scientific studies. Dutch men are typically 182,8 cm (6′ 0.0′′) tall, while Dutch women are typically 169,3 cm (5′ 6.7′′) tall. Due to their high standard of living, first-rate healthcare system, and natural selection, the Dutch are tall.

Continue reading to find out more about Dutch average heights and how they came to be the tallest people on earth.

What is average height in Netherlands?

We must first establish the average height in the Netherlands in order to respond to the question of whether Dutch people are the tallest in the world. Three significant scientific studies examined the average height of the Dutch population and contrasted it with average heights from other nations.

Study	Average height men Netherlands	Average height women Netherlands
2016 study	182,5 cm / 5′ 11.9″ (rank 1)	170 cm / 5′ 6.9″ (rank 2)
2020 study	183,8 cm / 6′ 0,4″ (rank 1)	170,4 cm / 5′ 7.1″ (rank 1)
2021 study	182,9 cm / 6′ 0,0″	169,3 cm / 5′ 6.7″

It is clear that the average heights of people in The Netherlands are almost identical across all three scientific studies and have stabilized in recent years. Even a slight decrease in the average height of Dutch people is seen in the most recent data from the 2021 study.

The Netherlands’ average male height in 2021 was 182,9 cm, compared to the country’s average female height of 169,3 cm (5′ 6.7″).

The slight variations in average height between these three studies in The Netherlands are not shocking. The duration of the measurement of the population’s average height increase differs between these three studies. The Dutch study and the 2020 Lancet study both covered the period from 1985 to 2019. (1980-2020). The first study, in contrast, covered the years 1914 through 2014.

It’s interesting to note that a recent study from The Netherlands found that men born in The Netherlands in 2001 were, on average, 1 cm smaller than men born in 1980. The average height of Dutch women born in 2001 was 1.4 cm lower than that of Dutch women born in 1980. As a result, it appears that the Dutch’s remarkable growth has stopped.

Dutch scientists have investigated a number of hypotheses regarding why the growth of the Dutch appears to be leveling off, but the exact cause is still unknown. The first potential explanation is the rise in immigration from countries with smaller populations and the children of these immigrants who were born in The Netherlands. However, other factors, such as changing dietary practices in The Netherlands with fewer growth-promoting nutrients but more calories, may have a more significant impact.

It’s interesting to note that Dutch men don’t differ greatly in height. In The Netherlands, more than 40% of men have a height that deviates from the average by no more than 5 cm.

The heights of men in The Netherlands vary somewhat by region. For instance, the tallest men in the Netherlands reside in the country’s north. The average height difference between men in the north and south of The Netherlands is about 3 centimeters (1,2 inches).

Similar to men, the tallest women in The Netherlands are located in the north and are about 3 centimeters (1,2″) taller than women in the south. The cause of the variation is still unclear as of right now.

Sources:

The first study from 2016 (a century of trends in adult human height), which included 18.6 million participants in 200 countries, examined the rise in heights between 1914 and 2014.
A more recent study from 2020 was published in The Lancet and was titled “Height and Body Mass Index Trajectories of School-Aged Children and Adolescents from 1985-2019 in 200 Countries and Territories: A Pooled Analysis of 2181 Population-Based Studies with 65 Million Participants.”
The average heights of Dutch men and women at 19 between 1980 and 2020 were studied in a 2021 Dutch study with 719.000 participants. Instead of conducting an international comparison of national heights, this Dutch study concentrated on trends in average heights in the Netherlands.

Now that we know the height of the average Dutch person, let’s find out if this makes the Dutch the tallest people on the planet.

Are Dutch people the tallest people on earth?

The average heights of various nations were compared in the studies from 2016 and 2020, including the Netherlands.

Dutch women ranked second in the 2016 study but first in the 2020 study, while Dutch men were the tallest in both international studies (2016 and 2018). Since 2000, the average heights of men and women in the Netherlands have slightly decreased, but they still rank as the tallest people in the world.

Dutch men and women had average Body Mass Indexes (BMIs), which suggested that their length growth was appropriate.

You might be wondering what is tall in The Netherlands now that we’ve looked at average heights there. The height of the tallest 2% of a nation’s male and female citizens is frequently used as a measure of height.

What Does Tall Mean In The Netherlands?

The table below displays the minimum heights of The Netherlands’ tallest 2% of males and females.

Part of population	Dutch males	Dutch females
Tallest 2%	>198 cm / 6′ 6”	> 184 / 6′ 0,5”

The Netherlands’ tallest 2% of males are taller than 198 cm (6′ 6″), while the country’s tallest 2% of females are taller than 184 cm (6′ 0,5″).

Let’s examine what is regarded as small in The Netherlands now that we have examined the giants.

What Does The Netherlands Consider Small?

Additionally, I examined the lengths of the 2% of Dutch people with the shortest stature, as shown in the table below.

art of population	Dutch males	Dutch females
smallest 2%	< 170 cm / 5′ 7”	< 158 / 5′ 2”

The smallest 2% of males and 2% of females in The Netherlands are both under 170 cm (5′ 7″) and under 158 cm (5′ 2″), respectively.

Let’s try to comprehend the growth of the Dutch in more detail now that we have defined the average, tallest, and shortest heights in the Netherlands.

How Long Did The Dutch Population Increase?

The average height of Dutch people has increased dramatically over the past century.

According to the 2016 study, Dutch men were the tallest in the world in 2014, while they were ranked number 12 in 1914. Men in the Netherlands have grown by an average of 20 centimeters (7,9″) over the past century.

In contrast, American men’s height increased by just 6 centimeters during this time. There are comparable growth differences between The Netherlands and other European nations. Other Western nations’ male growth peaked earlier, whereas the Dutch male population kept expanding.

2014 ranking	Country	1914 ranking
1	The Netherlands	12
2	Belgium	33
3	Estonia	4
32	United Kingdom	8
37	United States	7
93	China	130
102	Japan	187

The majority of this Dutch population growth occurred between 1950 and 2000. After 2000, the height increase plateaued. It appears that the length of the Dutch is finally being constrained by natural factors.

Even more remarkable than the rise in men’s heights in the Netherlands is the relative rise in women’s heights. In 2014, Dutch women were the second tallest in the world, compared to only 38 in the previous century.

In the Netherlands, women have increased in height by an average of 20 centimeters (7,9″). While the average height in other Western nations leveled off earlier, women in the Netherlands continued to grow along with men.

2014 ranking	Country	1914 ranking
1	Latvia	28
2	The Netherlands	38
3	Estonia	16
38	United Kingdom	57
42	United States	4
87	China	134
112	Japan	195

What Makes Dutch People So Tall?

The Dutch’s tall stature can be attributed to three complementary factors, according to scientists.

The combination of high living standards, first-rate healthcare, and natural selection has resulted in the Dutch being so tall. The Dutch had excellent health care and high living standards, making it possible for them to afford high-quality nutrition and prevent many childhood diseases. Tall Dutch men and women also have proportionally more children, which contributes to an increase in the country’s average height.

Let’s go into greater detail about these three elements that fueled the remarkable expansion of the Dutch.

1. High Standards of Living

In The Netherlands, the standard of living has significantly risen over the past 200 years for all social classes. A developing democracy in The Netherlands is closely related to an earlier Dutch growth spurt in the middle of the nineteenth century. As a result, there was a noticeable reduction in the wealth gap in The Netherlands.

The Netherlands was already wealthy, but a small top layer controlled its prosperity. Wealth started to spread to all tiers of Dutch society through increased democracy and social mobility, notably raising the country’s overall standard of living. This procedure, which began in the middle of the nineteenth century, was a catalyst for everyone’s health and well-being in the Netherlands at all societal levels.

Furthermore, the 1960 discovery and exploration of vast natural gas reserves in the Netherlands resulted in tens of billions of Euros in annual revenue and enabled the development of a welfare state in that country. The creation of this welfare state significantly raised the general level of prosperity.
Dutch parents, for instance, receive € 1000–1200 annually per child to spend on better nutrition. A family with three kids receives between €3000 and €4000 to spend on premium food.

The Dutch were able to afford better nutrition thanks to the rise in living standards over the past century, and their well-nourished children grew much more. The average height of Dutch people has been declining since 2000 due to altered dietary habits that have increased calorie intake and decreased nutrient intake.

However, the rise in the height of Dutch people cannot only be attributed to their consumption of dairy products. Long before they started to grow so much, the Dutch were already big dairy consumers. Therefore, other factors must have played a role in the Dutch’s recent growth spurt.

2. Outstanding Health Care System

The Netherlands has a first-rate universal healthcare system that was built with the help of the yearly profits from the exploration of the natural gas reserves.
The Dutch healthcare system, which eliminated many childhood illnesses that stunt children’s growth, is another factor contributing to the Dutch people’s height. Furthermore, Dutch infants are closely observed and treated right away if any disease persists.

Dutch babies grow much better because they receive top-notch medical care. For instance, in The Netherlands, vaccinations against serious illnesses like polio are free of charge, and many of these childhood illnesses have vanished.

3. Natural Selection

The increased height of the Dutch cannot only be attributed to higher living standards and excellent health. Similar improvements in living standards and healthcare have been experienced by other Western countries, but their populations have not expanded as much as the Dutch.

In contrast to The Netherlands, other European countries experienced a leveling off of the trend in rising height much earlier. The development of children in The Netherlands must therefore be influenced by other factors.

Since height is heritable, taller parents will produce taller offspring than average parents. Tall men seem to be more well liked by women in The Netherlands than smaller men are.

In The Netherlands, tall men and tall women bear, on average, more children than in other nations. The average height of the Dutch population has increased even more as a result of this exceptional trait.

Can The Netherlands be proud of its height? I think we should be proud of the Dutch people’s standing as an example of sustainable prosperity.

Sources

The NCD Risk Factor Collaboration’s 2020 The Lancet article, “NCD Risk Factor Collaboration: Height and Body Mass Index Trajectories of School-Aged Children and Adolescents from 1985-2019 in 200 Countries and Territories,” included data from 2181 population-based studies with 65 million participants.
The adult human heights in 179 nations have recently been compared by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration. At this enormous project, 800 scientists took part. The study used 1472 data sources and analyzed information from 18.6 million people. In 2016, the research “a century of trends in adult human height” was released.
Do the tallest humans on Earth tend to be taller by natural selection? May 2015. Gert Stulp et al.
Dutch people are shorter, but still very long. CBS (National Bureau of Statistics of the Netherlands), 2021.

The smallest 2% of males and 2% of females in The Netherlands are both under 170 cm (5′ 7″) and under 158 cm (5′ 2″), respectively.

Let’s try to comprehend the growth of the Dutch in more detail now that we have defined the average, tallest, and shortest heights in the Netherlands.

Topic: Why Are The Dutch So Tall? and What is Average Dutch Height?

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