Isn’t it ironic, that the nickname for the Netherlands is the lowlands. Quite frankly, a more descriptive term would be the highlands or at least the high-people-lands. If you haven’t noticed, Dutch people are tall. Really tall. Freakishly tall. Tall enough to make even a “normally” tall person feel short. They are in fact, the tallest people in the world! Have you seen ’em lately? Quite frankly, they are busting out of their red-panted-steams!
The odd thing here is that the Dutch haven’t always been tall. Ever been inside a 16th century canal house? Those tiny doors and quaintly low ceilings were indeed for tiny people. However, in only a century’s time, Dutch people went from being amongst the shortest nations to being the tallest homo-sapien-sapiens on the planet! The average Dutch man measures in at 1.837 m (6 ft 1 inches) and their lengthy female counterparts at a respectable 1.693 m (5 ft 6 1⁄2 inches).
Of course, there are a million and one hypothesis on why the Dutch are such vertically superior beings. Fabulous health-care? Impeccable hygiene? Superior diets? Generous sleep habits? All of these of course play a role, but I’ll put my money on the big D. Dairy, that is. Have you seen the copious amounts consumed in this country. I’m not alone in my conclusion, a recent study linked the number of cows per capita to the height of a country’s people. And guess what folks, the Dutch certainly have no shortage of cattle!
I bet you’re thinking that Dutch people must then all have it easy, in their lofty towers of height superiority. After all, aren’t there all sorts studies on the positive correlation between height and success? Think again folks! It ain’t all fun and games. Noooo, as we speak the tireless lobbyist group Klub Lange Mensen (Club for the Tall) are busy fighting the fight for enormously tall Dutch people’s rights.
They sure are tall these Dutchies!
It ain’t easy being tall. Tall Dutch people continually smack themselves on doorways, scratch the tops of their heads on ceilings, and get their lanky legs caught in each others lanky legs while simply trying to walk down the street! The tall Dutch people of the world need help (and apparently anti-growth hormones) and the hard working, self sacrificing people of the Klub Lange Mensen (KLM) will see that their tall bodies get the equalities they deserve! On their website they even offer advice for parents who are trying to see if their children will be lange (long) or te lange (too long)- gasp!!
It ain’t all bad news though, KLM’s website highlights a recent study on height and happiness; apparently all those smacks on the forehead have beaten the blues right out of them! So drink your milk children, and you too can be over 2 meters and blissfully happy!
A completely “accurate” height chart
Being 202 centimeters (6ft 6 inch), I can relate to this 🙂
Forgetting about the overall national average height, how tall would you say the latest generation of women is in the netherlands? are most 5ft7 or are the younger girls generally even taller?
I would say the younger generation of women is taller then 5ft7. I’d say they are more likely to be averaging around 1.75 metres, around 5 ft 9 inches.
Wow, that tall? It’s hard to believe that this generation of Dutch women is possibly taller on average that American men. Could that really be the case?
I am a 1m88 tall dutch woman…..
American youngsters on average are getting shorter. Has noone noticed the short girls and boys over the years..?
I’am a dutch women how is 1.82 meters (5 feet 11 inches) and compaired to my friends i am fairly tall. But I never hit my head on doorways. lol
I am a 16 year-old Dutch girl and I am 1,78 m, (about 6 ft, I think) And I am quite tall compared to my friends. Still most of them are only a few centimetres shorter than me. The Dutch are tall and they keep growing, I think…. 😀
I am of Dutch heritage, grew up in a Dutch Canadian community and at 5′ 7 (and a bit) I thought I was short. I have three brothers all well over 6 feet and plenty of taller female Dutch friends. Then I went to university and realized that I had skewed view of height. I’m taller than I thought.
I too have a skewed perception on my height. I am a Dutch-Canadian with Huguenot/French background, so I think I’ve inherited the French shortness, only 5’5″. In the Dutch world, this is short! One day at work though someone commented that I was tall for a woman. I laughed, but then I started noticing that in the “Canadian” world, I was actually not short. It was quite a revelation for me. My maiden name is Tolsma but my nickname growing up was “Smallsma”. Also probably thanks to my French ancestors, I am neither blond(brunette) and blue-eyed (green), so typical Dutch looking I am not, but proud of my ancestry none the less!!
I’m 1.70 and I’ve always considered myself as a little short, since I generally find myself looking up to my other Dutch female friends. It was quite a revelation the first time I visitrd the states.
Well, I’m actually 186cm (6’1,5″)..
Most of the time I hear that I’m so tall, but that doesn’t even stop me from wearing heels!
I love being tall! It’s incredible and not something a girl has to be ashamed of!
I’m a 1.78 Dutch woman with a dad that is 1.92 and a mom that is 1.88. I’m the shortie in the house.
Hi Maggie, I’m 1.68m, 5’6” inches. I’m by far the shortest one amongst my friends and family. Even my little sister is 5’9”. (bummer)
I’m 1m78 tall and in my surroundings I’m pretty average.
Im a 34 uur old Dutch woman and 5’10 (1.77 cm) which is fairly average for my age. Most women I know are about the same height, or within an inch below me. I know plenty of women that are quite a bit taller than me. I lived in Ireland for a couple of years and was indeed taller than most men. It was impossible to keep conversation in a crowded pub, because the conversation was happening half a foot below me. Was quite annoying, I stopped wearing high heels, which made a difference, but still..
In the Netherlands a man who is less tha 6feet tall (1.83cm) is considered short
I’m an American woman of Dutch heritage and I am 1.78 meters, or 5ft 10in. Taller than the average American man. 😛
I am a woman in my twenties and 1.88 tall. At school I used to be among the tallest but I notice now that many teenage girls are of similar height. It seems more normal. With the guys being even taller.
I’m a Dutch woman in my twenties, I measure around 5’11” or around 181 cm and actually a lot of my female friends are only an inch or so shorter or at the same height as I am. I only know a couple of female friends that are around 5’7″ haha. I think the Dutch average height is still going up! A lot of the younger people that I see around are getting taller and taller, a lot of the guys in my class are around 1.87 cm tall which is around 6’2 or 3″ I guess. It’s not really out of the ordinary that I walk past guys that tall in college haha
My daughter just turned 5 years old (march 13th) and she is very tall for her age… she is 128 cm and has size 36 in shoes. Mixed with an American Dad and a Dutch mom she will probably end up around 186 cm when she is full grown… I am 180 cm (mom) and her dad is around 185 cm.
I’m a 51-years old woman who is 5’11″… I have a twinboy who will turn 12 in June. One of them is 5’8″, the other 5’6″. They will probably end up around 6’9″ and 6’8″. It seems too tall, but I can see how the next generations are getting taller and taller.
My height is 1.80 and I’m a girl. i’m an older girl, 69 years young! I was born in Sweden, but lived in Holland almost my intire life…
I’m 16 y/o and I’m 1.75m. And I’m pretty sure the last generation of Dutch women is taller than 5ft7. I know a lot of girls that are taller than me.
5ft10 / 5ft11 here 🙂
The figure among the original population is even higher. We have a lot of people from Northern Africa and other parts of the world living in our country now and this affects the statistics. If you would look at my generation. Born in the fifties, the figure above is correct. For girls of Dutch descend in the present generation the figure is probably somewhere between 5ft 8 and 5 ft 10 average. For males the figure is probably also slightly higher 6 ft 2 to 6 ft 3. This however are no official figures since the Dutch statistics do not distinguish on parentage.
Hi! I love this page! I’ve been reading a lot of your articles, I’m moving to the Netherlands in the fall… People are very tall and from what I’ve read in the comments confirms that haha I’m just 1.58cm, so I guess I’ll be looking up a lot!
Living in the dairy province of Friesland, I’d say the women here are considerably taller than 5ft 7 or so. I see couples walking around here who tower above me at well above 6 feet. Blondes, blue eyes, and very very tall. And to think that my parents were shorter than I was so within just two generations this amazing physical change has taken place in the Dutch population.
My boyfriend is 198 centimeters (i don’t know how many inch that is), so i can relate also to this! Ha-ha-ha!
At 1.80 (5’11”) I was a quite average woman when I lived in NL – couldn’t see over a crowd
I agree, I have almost the same experience as a 1.80 high woman 😉 But a lot of my female familymembers are taller or will become taller (are still growing).
I am 6’1″ and am American with 100% Dutch ancestry. Even in a Dutch US community I’m tall. I would LOVE to be in a crowd of that height! But it is an advantage when looking for someone here.
Yeah me too!! I’m 6ft 2 inches and I always get comments about my height!
I’m a 1.78 m Dutch woman with a dad that is 1.92 and a mom that is 1.88. I’m the shortie in the house
you are 6ft 2 inches with heels isn’t?
Nice math mark. You’re not even breaking 2 meters. At 6’6″, you’re only 198.12 cm.
I am (surprise surprise) a Dutch young woman and I am 1.73 (that’s 5ft… 8?) and considered average in length. I do bump my head, tumble down, get my legs stuck in bikes or other people’s legs… But I think that has more to do with the fact that I’m clumsy than my length! Don’t forget: in the NL we changed our standard sizes for windows, doors, ceilings etc.. because we were getting too tall for them. So in our own country, we shouldn’t have a problem with these things.
I am 208 cm 6’10″ish I am of dutch descent. I now live in Chicago, it would be nice if all doors would be at 210cm. also Height in United states is actually increasing when looking at height within demographics. Also the height of third generations start to increase with each continuous generation.
I’m 202cm as well, but that’s not 6’6″ but 6’7 1⁄2″. Let’s not sell ourselves short.. 🙂
(202 / 2.54 = 79.53 inch)
I am a dutch girl and my guy friends are freaking tall… They are both around 1.87 m while I’m only 1.63 meters tall. I am almost the smallest one in my class, the smallest girl is 1.60 meters. My friends nickname me dwarf for fun sometimes and I must say my heigh can be a reall hassle. Girls younger my ages are most of the time waaaay taller than me, so most people can’t believe I’m actually 18 years old! Here in the Netherlands being around 1.63 is just tiny… But I keep my head up and just say: klein maar fijn! Which you could translate as: small but pretty.
hi, have the italian size body as well, plus I have their hourglassy figure (dutch girs are apples). I moved to the Netherlands recently, and found it exreme hard to find nice clothes for my shape. can anyone suggest any brands that can be promising to me? other problem: shoe size 36,5 – do you know any shops where half sizes are available??? (it seems nonavailable here :S)
what is the tallest guy at your class? over 200 cm (6’7?
Being only 157cm I can’t relate to this =(… oh well… I guess I’m the odd one out… Although I’d got a friend who’s only 147cm…
I’m a 1.65 Dutchie (female) and people her see me as small and not average. And yess American men ar smaller then most Dutch woman
It is so funny being 1.78 metres, female, and walking around in Italy. Those people are ridiculously short, quite usefull for seeing over crowds.I’m quite tall even for a dutch girl, but guys tend to be taller than me. Not in Italy though.
…but is not so funny being an Italian (short) guy in the Netherlands!
Nor a short Asian guy in Holland.
i’m only 1.71..and thank god i live in sicily.. i feel quite tall here …i’m the shortest one in my family i think ..ahahahhah
I lived in an East Asian country for a while, but I can relate to you Luca: although I was much taller than everyone else (yes, I’m Dutch), I didn’t think it was funny at all. I felt embarassed, because people looked at me as if I was some abnormal creature 🙁
I am a 1.85 meters Italian guy living in the Netherlands… Is there any way I can help you to reconsider your “ridiculous” comment? 🙂
Hi
And didn’t you feel ridiculous yourself walking between them??? It’s all a matter of point of view…
I love tall blond Dutch guys!!!! yum! 🙂 haha
1.88 meters and enjoying the fact that I can find my friends in a crowd. And I’m not ridiculously big anyway 😉 Eat that, small people! Oh, the pic that goes with this post was taken in the subway in Tokyo… haha
Being an Englishman married to a Dutch woman this means I always have to look up when we are talking
I have 2 sons who are 2.04 cm ! And one of them is still single..
I’m single! lol – 1.78 here (5’10”), American-born, Dutch descent. (I can’t begin to say how much a relief reading all of these comments has been to me! I was adopted and my adoptive mom is 5’2″. I was raised in a predominantly Italian area – so I’m the tallest of all my friends. It’s near impossible to meet a nice, tall man around here!) I learned that in my biological family, I have a male cousin 6’8″, an uncle 6’7″, and another 6’5″. All Dutch. 🙂
I’m mostly Dutch, and I went to college with mostly Dutch kids, so I felt normal. I’m not that tall for a female, but it was strange to move to the East Coast (USA) and look down at most of the men. I love how my 6-ft.-tall Dutch niece embraces her height!
how tall are dutch women on average? are they as tall on average as US men are on average? crazy.
i think dutch women under 30 are averaging around 5ft8 while american males average 5ft9, so it’s close. anyone else have any more detailed information? its an interesting way to look at things. that would be wild if the shrinking americans would up with males shorter than average dutch females one day.
it is interesting but I don´t know too. But I heard that younger generation of women in Holland is very tall about 1,73 maybe 1,75 metres in average! Let´s found some informations in web, press and in science publications 🙂
I am 5,6 and that is considered short for a female in the Netherlands. In the US I am average. Manny of my Dutch girlfriends range from 5,9 to 6,1 and most of the guys I know back home range from 6,1 to 6,7.
I was tall for my age throughout my childhood. When I was around 14 my classmates and those that were two years older than me started passing me by. As a teenager I often chose to only drink melk for lunch. Which I believe did effect my height.
It took going to college to realize how out-of-whack my small town (Dutch heritage) upbringing was. Only a couple guys in my h.s. class of 75 were less than 6′. One classmate was 6’4″ and 330# in 8th grade. It’s happened multiple times that kids hit 6′ in 6th grade and the whole basketball line up is 6’1″ and up. One year all 5 starters were 6’4″ and taller. And yes, the women are taller, too. My sister was average to short at 5’7″. Many female classmates were 5’9″, 5’10”, or 5’11”. Small town, Dutch heritage, and a lot of people sticking around means certain genes just strengthen! We joke about it being in the water. : )
So the message here is….drink your milk and eat you cheese if you want to be a taller person :-).
However not too much otherwise you will bump your head…..
I hardly drank milk or ate cheese when I was younger, but I’m still a 186cm (6’1,5″) girl! 🙂
Don’t forget all the cycling …… Never gone with the wind but always against the wind! 😉
I am 1.72 metres and I enjoy visiting the Netherlands because I am no longer the tallest person in a room (so it seems). In Canada most of my friends are shorter than me, and I enjoy wearing heels, thank goodness I married a tall French boy.
Sadly, I have arrived too late in my adult life to consume the height bearing amounts of dairy! I struggle living here on a daily basis being only 1.57m. And finally had to vent about it via post: http://rbfreezeframe.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/vertically-challenged-in-the-tallest-country-in-the-world/. But at least I have no problems on the airplane!
I’m Dutch, and I don’t belong into the tall-category. I am relatively short, and not complaining at all. Especially when sitting in an airplane it has it advantages.
My name is Tessa too, and I too have got the short gene being only 157cm tall. Not complaining either though. I was always told that it was because I was a good girl when I was little, because a ‘schop onder de kont’ would have made me taller =)
Thanks for this. I am curious why the article didn’t mention genetics as a possible contributor to Dutch height. The more tall people their are mating with other tall people, the taller the population will get . . . Right?
Hey Sherri, that’s what they mean when they say “natural selection”. Dutch women apparently have a preference for tall men, which meant that tall men had more offspring which led to the average height increasing. Some also believed that blond hair spread by way of natural selection…
I’m Dutch and I’m only 163cm, it’s my Dutch parents’ fault. They are only 157cm and 180cm.
It’s not much fun at popconcerts and in the cinema but on airplanes I’m fine!
Dutch guy here, 184 cm tall so I guess im your average dutch bloke 🙂 I blame drinking milk in my case. Lots of milk 🙂
Hey im dutch 14 years joung and a respecteble 1.76M, not bad right?
anyway did you already talk about the dutch being 44% atheist.
we are the 14th most atheist country in the world.
Hey, i’m dutch 14 yrs old and 1,84 M , Not bad right
hahaha well that was funny. I’m a Dutch girl too and I’m 178 centimeters, about 5’83” and most of my girl friends are about the same height, some a little shorter, some a little longer. A few of my guy friends are about the 200 centimeters too, about 6’56” ^_^ so it’s true we are tall lol :3
I think it’s indeed because of the milk, I was really a milk addict when I was a child and well a lot of Dutch people eat a lot of cheese too which also contains milk XD and I ate a lot of peanut butter…. Although I have to say that I already got long legs when I was only a newborn baby, even the nurses were amazed by that…
mayra 1.78 is niet lang.
Iets langer dan normaal maar niks bijzonders.
Mn moeder van 65 is zelfs al 1.87 en mn schoonzus is 1.92.
1.93 and I don’t feel very tall. I think people in the northern and western parts of the country are taller than the east and the south.
When you went to local high school? Were there many 2 meter plus guys on your campus?
I’m a 176 cm women. My youngest son is 14 yrs old and 176 cm, my 16 yr-old is 190 cm and my 18 yr old is 195 cm. I love walking down the street with them. Beanstalks I call them, lol
Hahaha!! Dat is een -overigens verkeerde- letterlijke vertaling van ‘bonenstaken’!!! xD Maar leuk geprobeerd xD
zo lang is dat niet.
mijn moeder is 1.87. ik 1.98, broertjes 2.05 en 2.11. schoonzus 1.92
Do your sons’ school have a lot of guys are as tall as him or even taller?
My children and I are Canadian of Dutch immigrants. My parents were unusually short for being Dutch; however, my children are all quite tall. In fact, my daughter, who is almost 6 ft. tall found it strange after attending a school where most of the kids were of Dutch descent and tall and is now attending college with a diverse cultural mix and feels that she towers over most of the girls and some of the guys there.
Half-Dutch and normal American height (5’8″, 173 cm), I can relate. I went to a Dutch-American high school and could never see down the hallways. My “little” brother got the Dutch height genes and had no problems.
I recently went to Romania, and while being quite short in the Netherlands (at 1m78 or 5’10”) I felt like a giant strolling through Bucharest. Let alone a friend of mine, reaching 2m02 (or 6’7.5”).
Even when I cross the border into Germany the difference in mean height is quite noticeable.
My mum is somewhat shorter than 1m60 (5’3”), yet during a visit to the town of San Cristóbal de las Casas in Mexico even she felt tall. For that afternoon, that is.
Andrei
You might have felt like a giant among women, but for a guy, you are pretty average 😉
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_average_height_for_men_in_Romania
did you like romania? lol
I’m 1.71m long and a dutch female. In the Netherlands I was normal, here where I am now at this moment, my legs are too long when I’m sitting in the bus! My knees will hit the chair in front of me! I never had that before!
Actually Dutch people weren’t tiny a few centuries ago. Because of the soft and moist soil here the buildings sink down into the soil. With flooding floors and cellars it was necessary to make the floors higher so they wouldn’t flood. Do this for a few centuries and you get tiny doors and ceilings. 🙂 Still, they were smaller then we are now of course.
Greetings from a Dutch guy, 1.98m (about 6’5″ I think).
True, and doors were very expensive at that time, so people rather bought a small door than one they could walk through standing. Yeah, we Dutch people are thrifty bastards! 😛
1.77 and a woman btw, so I can relate to this too!
I think you are right. I am in the US, I just met a guy online who lives in the Netherlands and he is 1.96. I think that is about 6′ 4″ tall. He is also very cute, bald, intelligent. I am
5′ 2″ and we are using a camera and mic to play boyfriend and girlfriend online. We have fun with eachother. (Tall is beautiful)
Yeah!!!you see lot’s of them so tall and so full of shit
you spell like a redneck too
Well, I already had reached the height of 1,91 cm when I was 10 years old.. It ended in 1,93 cm. Fun thing is that I don’t really feel that big, because the average among people 18-25 years old, is like 1,90 cm or so. It’s really sick.
I don’t like milk, but I am still a women with the lenght of 1,70,
So Dutch-like tall. Maybe it’s also cheese?
I am 196cm and very happy about it. Just a bit taller then most tall Dutch guys;). Shorter people usually bump their head because they dont know when to watch out:) My tallest girlfriend was 186cm:) I have a rule the girls head has to at least come above my shoulders;) When I was growing every day I had 0,5L milk with me to school, but the main reason I think I am tall is because my mother is 180cm. (Dont know why she is big;))
1.98 and never liked milk, and never had it in big amounts. Only chocolate milk every now and then. I blame the diet in general. Lots of variety and a mix of different kitchens are common here.
This is funny to read! With 1.60 m I’m the shortest of the whole family (grandmother included). Today I walked in to a parking garage and a warning sign set let op uw hoofd 1.90m (watch your head 1.90) This obviously was here in the Netherlands! As I read it realized many of my male friends would indeed bump their heads.
I’m 5 ft 10 inches (that means about 1,78 m) and dutch female. I don’t think it’s the dairy because I’m lactose intolerant 😀
AND both my parents are very short, so that can’t be it either! 😛
I’m an asian guy and lived my whole life in the Netherlands … and I’m hitting 1.78 which is huge compared to my continental counterparts. Blame it on the Diary, Potatoes, Bacon and Pindakaas (peanutbutter).
I’m a 184 cm (72.4 inches) tall Dutch female, so can relate! But I’m also considered quite tall for Dutch standards tho 🙂
I blame it on my tall parents! 😉
Oh and by the way, I’m still very frustrated by the fact that we are indeed the tallest people on the planet, but it is still quite impossible to find a pair of nice womens jeans that are 36″ long! 🙁
Check out http://www.longtallsally.com out of the UK, wonderfully long clothing!
I’m german/belgian and living in The Netherlands, I’m 5 foot, I can’t reach the higher shelves in the shops, when sitting on dutch chairs my feet dangle and in public toilets I can’ t see myself in the mirror. My children grew up in the Netherlands and they are 1,75 (the boys), 1,64 and 1,46 – the two girls ( all grown-up) despite drinking lots of milk and eating lots of cheese. So where does that leave all the theories.
Is it really true that the chairs in the netherlands are higher than in the US. how tall are typical doorways there? are they higher than the standard 80 inches in the US? i’m wondering because i will be visiting soon and i’m nervous about standing out as being super short. i’m 4ft11. if i walk around there in flats am i literally going to be so much shorter than dutch women that i get stared at the way a 6ft4 woman would in the US?
No one will stare although you are quite short for Dutch standards.My mom is 157cm and we always tease her how short she is but no one stares. (You are about 150cm). I know lots of Dutch women that are shorter than 170cm.
Standard doors are 201,5cm or 211,5cm high, with the latter becoming more and more standard in new buildings.
Thanks for the reply Anna. i generally tend to wear heels because i’m so short but i want to be comfortable walking around there so i also want to bring lots of flats. but seeing all this talk about women being 180cm and taller made me wonder if i’d feel self conscious walking around there at only 150cm in flats? even your mom who you mention is a good deal taller than me, and even just 170 cm is super tall from where i stand!
At 4ft11 in flats I’d say it’s possible you would get a few stares as you’re a full head shorter than a dutch woman of just average height.
Standard door height was 2,015 cm (about 80″) but building codes now require 2,315 m (91″).
First of all, being tall is not ‘vertically superior’. Maybe in inches, but not in back pains or life expectations. I am Dutch, a 6 foot tall average Joe, and I feel like a midget sometimes. I am the shortest guy of my office. Over here, many women are (a little) shorter than me, but they all wear high heels which makes them 3 to 4 inch taller. They are proud of being tall. Sometimes, at the coffee machine, they have to mention that they are taller than me when they are standing next to me. Because of their high victory urge, they don’t realize that they’re wearing high heels… And yes, I do think an unasked height review is rude. But the Dutch consider their-selves as ‘to the point’. I still believe that’s an euphemism for being rude. 🙂 Every time when I visit a foreign country, I notice that the women abroad are way shorter, but also more feminine and more fun. They seem to enjoy being a woman. I love that! I think Dutch women are the most manly women in the world. They behave masculine, a lot of them have an ‘easy’ haircut and they always have to win. Visit the Netherlands and you will notice that every conversation needs to be a competition, a discussion with a winner. ‘Career women’ behave the most manly. They probably think emancipation means trying to be like a man. Of course there are lot of exceptions, but in general, there is a very significant difference between Dutch women and women outside of the Netherlands.
Yeah I’m thinking that since Dutch women are about 4 inches taller than US women on average, i will feel quite short, since I already feel very short even here in the US when I’m in flats. If I decide to but shoes (like pumps) when I’m there do you think I’ll have trouble finding them? I’m a US size 5, which is I think is a size 35 there. What do you think?
No one will stare at your for being short. NL and especially Amsterdam is quite multi-cultural and there are plenty of shorter women around, it’s nothing special. Shoe sizes usually start at 36, I think, but I might be wrong. I would recommend you to be comfortable over “fashionably tall” if you’re going to be walking and sightseeing all day!
(I am in fact a tall Dutch woman at 1.80/6 feet – and having travelled extensively to “the lands of the short people” (ie. everywhere outside of NL), I know what being stared at feels like! But I don’t think you have to worry. Maybe some people will think: “aww, aren’t you cute.” 🙂
sarah, is there really a noticeable difference in height once you leave your area? also, at 6ft you are tall, but i wouldn’t think tall enough to generate a very high amount of stares. how often do you see women taller than you in your area?
I am a woman, and want to move to Holland, but I am only 5ft 1 (155cm). I am now worried about being trodden on! (Or stared at. Or put in a circus.)
Well being German / Belgian might have influenced that…;) must be tough to live in The Netherlands…
I’m 189cm, indeed not really special here.
1.92 here. Got kicked in the pants a lot. That may have helped 😉
I´m 2.06 meters and Dutch. So this rule totally applies to me 😛
Last may I went to Canada on a School Exchange and there everyone stared at me and said:”OMG, how come your so tall?” and I was like:”Uhhhm, just grow :)”
Has it advantages (basketball,soccer,jumping, reaching things) but definetly has its dis-advantages too… like(sitting in car or plane, being agile, small beds on holidays :@)
Being a short Irish-American (1.64 m) and single sucks in the Netherlands. I have a very hard time meeting single women here who don’t tower over me. I should have taken that job in Asia…
And why would it be a problem that a woman is taller than you? I know quite a few Dutch woman who are taller than their spouse. If she’s a nice person, why should it matter in the first place?
I think he means he’ll have trouble making an impression on any of them.
My Dutch husband is 202 cm as well and it’s just too damned tall. He barely fits in any car to drive and no one can sit behind him because the seat has to be all the way back. He doesn’t fit on airplanes. We have to go to specialty shoe stores and pay quite a lot for each pair of shoes. He doesn’t fit on hotel beds (his feet hang off the end). He has had knee and back problems his whole life from it. We do have a nice collection of photos from our travels of where he does not fit (things like elevators and bathrooms in other countries). 🙂
I’m only 162cm and our children are on a projected course to tower over me.
My dad is 6 foot 6 (slightly over 2 meters), excessively tall for an American. He definitely has to incline his head when he goes through doors. He was an officer in the American navy for twenty years, and when he ported in Amsterdam, he said that there were at least 5-6 other Dutch at the officers club his height or taller. He said it was the most unusual experience for him – not being unusually tall!
Try living in Asia as 6 feet tall Dutch girl. I miss my heels so much (used to wear them all the time back home) 🙁 especially in elevators it can be quite oncomfortable with guys on breast height.
Hello! I’m pure Black and I’m a little taller than average Dutchmen,Danish/Swedish folk too. My stature is 190cm and so are my siblings around (.188-197). I’m not a particular fan of milk/dairy products as well.
I’m 15 and almost 1.80 m, and I’m a bit longer then my friends, just a little bit. But here in the Netherlands, everything is made for the dutch people! It’s really funny to be on vacation and see all these small people XD
haha i can relate, I’m 15 and 1m82cm and croatian, I went to india and looked down on virtually every men and women
I have a similar question to Rachel’s. I’m 4ft10, or 147 cm. Especially if I wore flats, would I stand out as being so short in the Netherlands that I might get stares or comments from people asking how tall I am?
There are people in the Netherlands (especially the large cities) from every nation in the world. Many of them are shorter than average (including me). Even those who are born in the Netherlands but have ancestry in other nations tend to be shorter, because they continue to eat the diet of their culture. So you won’t really stand out that much.
I really don’t think it’s necessarily the diet or food alone that makes most dutch people (or any other ethnic group of people) that much taller than others. The diet may be a big part of it, for example if someone has eating disorders or any kind of malnutrition, health problems or diseases as a child or teenager when they’re still growing they may not grow as tall as they would if they were eating healthy and “normal” through their entire childhood and adolescence or if they were healthy in general.
The biggest effect on human height is in fact genes and height is often inherited by children straight from both parents. For example, I am female 28 years old and my mother is about 156-157 cm tall and my father is about 178cm. I’m right between their heights at about 167 cm.
Now if both parents are quite short it’s not very likely the children will be tall either…no matter how much milk or cheese they eat as they’re growing up! Your height just can’t be explained by looking at only the food you eat. Most people in Asian countries are short. It’s a part of their ethnic/genetic heritage. There are always exceptions to the rule of course, but they are more rare. My mothers side of the family are generally quite short. Only one of her 5 brothers is over 180 cm. He towers over all the others. He’s the exception in the family. The shortest of her brothers is just about my height. It’s a family and genes thing mostly. I think height is made too much of an issue. We are all different, different weights, different ethnicities and cultures…and different heights. Not everyone can be average height and shouldn’t be teased or whatever if they’re NOT “average”. Maybe I have had it “easy” because here where live I AM average height for a woman, but for me height is not that big of an issue. The only way I could change my natural height is by wearing high heeled shoes. People need to accept that not everyone fits into the mould of average height or average anything else either.
Elaine, since Dutch women are about 3 inches taller than american women on average, you would probably feel the same height as you’d feel in your own city if you were 4ft7. so just crouch down about 3 inches and that should help prepare you.
Maggie, I’m answering your question about my height abroad here since I didn’t find a reply button with your comment: In Holland indeed I am considered tall but not extremely so, though I still get comments when I wear my heels (which I refuse not to wear). In my generation I was one of the obvious tall girls, but the next generation has caught up with me and I become less and less conspicuous and more average. However, I’ve lived in the UK and in the USA, and was and always have been the tallest girl around (heck, my nickname used to be “the tall girl”), and usually even the tallest person around including the men (awkward for dating!). I think after 1 year in the UK I met perhaps 2 girls who matched me for height. I remember being in the US with my family when I was 18, my 2 meter tall brother 17, and visiting a themepark. Waiting in an area with a few hundred people for a next show, my brother was the tallest person there. I noticed that everyone included, I was the second tallest. People there used to ask my parents what they fed us (I used to joke “chicken with growth hormones”). These past few years I’ve travelled South America and Asia: Especially Asia I am continuously stared at and am consistently asked to pose for pictures with people who don’t reach higher than my chest. I don’t mind: I take pictures of them too.
I used to mind this when I was younger and dating, but now I am quite comfortable with my height. Top shelves here I come!
Those low ceilings in the canalhouses weren’t because of the height of the people.. but because of the prices of windowmaking and the function of the rooms. Although the length of the dutch was different in the 1600’s, it cannot be a conclusion deducted from the heights of the interieur of the buildings..
I’m a Dutch girl, 1.84m, and I didn’t get it from my parents, maybe I’m from “de melkboer”, hahaha! 😉
Hahaha, same here! Some tall milk-man must have been hitting on my mom;-) My mother is 1.61 m and my dad 1.72 m. I’m 1.80 m and a little bit taller than most of my female friends. Love to wear my high heels though!
I am 1.84m, my ex-husband is 2.03m and it seems my kids (5 and 3,5 yrs) will be very tall too. I still wear high heels and am proud of my height!
nothing funny about being Dutch when you live abroad and find that all pants are always 10 cms missing at the bottom!
Awesome to see many tall people around on the site!
I am freakishly tall for a woman, even in the Netherlands. At 1m89 I stand a tall 6ft2, try finding pants at that height…
It’s great for sports though 😉
Luckily the love of my live is even taller, at 2m07 or 6ft8 he still towers over me.
I’m belgian and 6’1
I always had trouble finding boyfriends that were taller, or even of equal height… until I started dating dutch guys :p.
This is so true! I felt extremely tall when I lived in England. Back in Holland I am still one of the tallest, but not that exceptional. 191cm (6ft 2inches), as a Dutch female! =)
I’m a tall guy, even by Dutch standards. 2m04 and experiencing the problems of living in a country where average doorheights (is that correct English?) are about 2m02 (yes, I’ve bumped my head more than once).
Finding clothes that fit isn’t difficult. Finding affordable clothes that fit, that’s the big challenge. Some may find a shirt that costs € 85,00 “affordable” but my paycheck disagrees 😉
Visiting countries such as Greece, Argentina, Portugal etc., I never really noticed being extremely tall, but the locals always seem to think they have to remind me that they’re not that tall… Always asking about my length. Like they’d appreciate me asking every little Greek person “hey, how small are you?”
My only real discomfort being this tall however, is in amusement parcs. As a “big” 😉 fan of fast rollercoaster rides, I can’t understand why these parcs build exciting new attractions with a length-restriction: people over 1m95 are not allowed on the ride! This means I can’t even accompany my little daughter on these rides and she is not yet tall enough to ride alone.
Is there already a “meldpunt” for length-discrimination?
As someone just 170cm and enjoys being in the netherlands one of my best friends there is 211cm who just loves the attention he gets! I live in wales where its rare to see anyone over 193cm..just to say the dutch are the nicest people on earth so feel free to email [email protected]
According to the British Medical Journal, the most widely held theories on the excessive height of the Dutch are:
1. since the country is so flat, the tallest human predators could observe their prey more easily than shorter predators, so naturally the taller organisms predominated from natural selection,
and
2. being such a low country, the frequent flooding has tended to eliminate the shorter specimens from the gene pool.
stupid answer… sorry for your
I hope you are joking…otherwise your knowledge of science and natural selection is piss poor
haha lol xD!
A 1.75m woman here… my Turkish ex didn’t allow me to wear heels because I’d be bigger than him 🙁 🙁 oh the pain of being tall! Hahaha
Turks are short.
Yes.. we Dutch are tall but SO WHAT? Just came back from California, goss I never expected the Californians so short! Women AND Men. The fact that we are tall is genetic plus a fact of a prosperious country, good nutrition, stable environment. If you go to the Emirates for example you see that the people are also tall. By the way this blog is funny to read as a Dutch some things are exagirated and clearly taken from an American point of view, but never mind keep on the good work.
Genetics, nutrition, habits, sea breeze, star gazing… The Dutch always want to know what their neighbours have for dinner. And how about some conspiracy theory? How do abortion, the infant mortality rates and liberal euthanasia relate to body height? Creepy stuff if you ask me.
I’m a 1,83 m American with some Dutch in my heritage, in the place where I live I’m rather average among my friends who have a good amount of Irish heritage but most of the other people around here are terribly short. Most of the women from around here are 1,64 m and a lot of the men aren’t too much taller.
You’d think with all those tall people, the standard sizes for things like public transport would also be bigger. But nooo. Ever tried sitting in the Randstadrail at 1.80m with your 1.87m dad sitting opposite of you? There is no freaking room! And those trams are really new too. I hate having to constantly stub my knees. D:
Also tall people suffer from back problems more easily. The human body is not really made for it..
We are only tall because we live beneath the sea-level. So when the Great Flood comes, we still can keep our heads dry and survive.
I come from Sweden, i’m 13 years and 188cm tall 😉 My dad is 205 cm tall and was 172cm when he was 13. So i guess that i will become pretty tall… 😀
no it does not work proportionally like that
not all dutch people are tall, I’m 153 centimeters and I know more people of that height
Yes, I am a 6”9′ 16 y.o. dutch guy.
But for basketball its very handy.
I am also very a man at 6’0″. I think i come up to about 2 inches above your eye level.
Im only 5’4 , do dutch women hate short guys? my asset is intelligence and my extensive knowledge about dutch stuff (cheese , politics etc)? i know every girl is different but whats the perception in general
Sorry mate, the general consensus is that (Dutch) women prefer a guy taller then they are.
THats kinda shallow
Two words: Peter Dinklage.
Seriously, google him. And marvel at the THOUSANDS of women who will disagree with you. Myself included.
depends on the lady. My little sister cares a lot about a guy being taller, she’s 1.76m. I personally could not care less about the height of my guy (who is in fact only 2 cm taller than I am, he’s 1.69m, i’m 1.67m) and I have dated men between 2.13m and 1.60m all equally sexy in their own way. Have you seen a picture of Jamie Cullum and his wife? You’re length is the last thing you should worry about, bring some personality to game :).
I have a decent personality and yea i have checked sophie dahl but isnt she an exception to the norm? Ive talked to dutch people and bonded very well with them
I’m a 16 years old girl and I’m already 176 cm. Thanks to the cheese and milk!
How about Dutch boys’ height at your school? Are there a lot of 200 cm guys there?
It doesn’t have anything to do with dairy products. I’m a women from the Netherlands and I have been lactose-intolarant for my whole life (just as at least 5 of my friends) and we average a hight of 6 ft 9 inch (me being te smallest at 6ft 1 inch as a women) and the tallest being my boyfriend of 7ft 2 inches. it has more to do with our habit of eating good and healthy foods such as fruit and vegtables on a daily basis then dairy.
Lol. My boyfriend is dutch and at 1.94, his comment when he got to my place here in Chile was WHY IS THE TOILET SO SHORT!? lmao. I’m 1.80 myself (insanely tall in this country) and never thought of that
I’m a 6.1 ft tall woman with a 6.1 ft tall US (California) husband. A few weeks ago I was standing in line, wearing my high heels and overlooked about 30 people standing in that same line. I felt like a giraffe!!
People always say we’ll have “monsterkids” because we’re both this tall.. Ah well.. 😀
I’m a 19 year old with thick Dutch blood, and i’m 6″5′, while my 15 year old sister is 6″1′. Its good being tall, but living in Australia, it gets tedious hearing people’s opening lines of “wow, your tall” when you first meet them.
Hmm, I googled “growth hormones” followed by various Dutch food sources, such as “cows,” “pigs,” “potatoes,” and lastly, “cabbage.” Here’s a link to “The Health Benefits of Cabbage,” which surprise surprise, is a vegetable which boosts up our bodies’ production of growth hormones!!! Mmm… My nice tall cabbage…. Isn’t it “mon petit chou” in French? (Term of endearment – “my little cabbage…)
http://www.elements4health.com/cabbage.html
I am from the northern part of the Netherlands. Being only 1.81cm I am considered short. I fact i am the shortest of all my cousins. I jokingly call myself the dwarf of the family.
I’m 6’5 and I’m the tallest in my class
not all Dutch are really that tall ………
The Dutch are FAR too tall. There are too many crowd events where all I got to see was some blond giant’s shoulders. The EU should start handing out free cigarettes and vodka to pregnant women so their kids will be reduced to the EU average.
I looked it up and the avarage is 1.67 for women and 1.88 for men… But of course most people are taller than this, for example I’m 1.73 myself as a woman.
Well 1.67 is really short for a woman i think. I mean, at my school (that’s in northern Netherlands) girls who are 1.68 are SHORT!! not average. I myself are 1.83 and are a little above normal (i’m a girl)
Ive always remembered an Australian guy asking me: Do you know why Dutch people are so tall? ……….They need to keep above sea level.
That’s ritch, lol
I like that one 🙂
I came back from Amsterdam a few days ago and was impressed with so many tall people there! I consider high growth as sign of good health and well being. You are really beautiful!
Cheers 🙂
Dutch people aren’t tall, the rest of the world is just short.
wow this is SO true im a girl im 5’4 and a half and im only starting 6th grade my dad is 6’3 my opa is 6’1 or something and on the other side he is like 6’6 !! my mom is like 5’8 and my oma is like 5’6 on both sides. i feel speciAl dude
Yep, I’m 6 ft 7″ which is 2.02m approx. Working in education I see more and more young guys getting taller every year. Interesting to see, but where does it ends?
hey..,are u really 6ft7??thats crazy.,i’m just 5ft11,.,where are you from?can u plz tell me some proven way to grow some inches up
Hi, where are you from? You have met a lot of young boys are taller than nowadays? even though you are 200 cm?
what amazes me is that field hockey is among their favorite sports. one of the few sports that height is a disadvantage. so, they play bended in half. they could be the best in the world in basketball, especially the women.
and going to a concert is always fun here. i have never been in a concert and not in the front line. due to their height, its terrible to be in the back, but you can easily slide between them to the front
I also heard, that average height of the younger generation of dutch women is around 1.75 metres, (5 ft 9 inches). And 14 years old girls are 5 feet 8,5 (1.74 m) But it sounds unbelievable, can you imagine it? :-))) Have you found some informations about it (web or press)
Haha, I’m half Dutch and half Chinese and I’m a 14 year old girl and 5’8. I live in Asia so everywhere I go, I’m most probably the tallest girl there. When I use flats usually, Asian women that use heels only reach my shoulder!
Hey guys!i’m from nepal(asian) the country of mt.everest and lord buddha :)..,i’m 180cm(abt 5’11).,and the average male height here is 5ft5 while female are of 5ft0 inches..,but nowadays most of the guys tend to be around 6ft.,so what will you all suggest us to grow further tall?and till which age we can grow taller?
I suddenly feel realy little as a Dutch 5″5 tall girl! Though i feel quite averadge when standing in public!
I’m 6′ 7″ and I’m going to make it a point to travel to Holland to see these “Giant Dutch” people. 😀
Being 1,94 meters, as a 16-year-old Dutch boy, it’s quite funny when you go to southern countries in the holidays. That’s when for a moment, you are the tallest person in that country, because they are so tiny (like Spain and Italy).
Wow. I’m actually kind of offended, we aren’t that lanky.
But I guess it’s a better than being the most obese country.
which is america, correct? i live here, and it’s so sad. it’s either i see many afflicted with the obesity issue, or many who struggle–whether seen visible, ie being soo skinny, or just their mindset–with trying to be stick-figures! i literally had a girl at the gym tell me i was lucky i was “so skinny”! what an odd thing to say, i think, and the way society exalts thinness as beauty yet pushes these disgusting foods into consumer diets baffles me. mexico is second place, and has much to do with the GMO’s in corn and the big US co’s that endorse such horrid establishments all for money.. Earth’s people make me very confused sometimes..
Being 2,10 meters myself, I’m considered tall even for Dutch standards, going as far as having to crouch a bit when giving a hug to a family member. But when I was abroad in Egypt for a Vacation i really noticed how tall Dutch people can be, seeing as my whole family “towered” above the people there. But yeah, being the tallest country in the world is certainly not a bad thing 😀
On the other hand, you can never get work as a hobbit “extra” on LOTR.
Hey I am Asian, I am 18 y.o and I am 175 cm. I am quite tall for Asian and for girls in my home country I even couldn’t wear my heels cus the boys are short also. when I moved to Netherlands I feel comfort to wear heels and see lot of people taller than me.
i wonder though if there is some inherent preference for taller girls in NT since they tend to be taller…? i dunno, this sounds like a stupid question now that i ask it since its so superficial, but as a 5’6 girl… just average.. and thinking bout traveling there, i’d definitely not want to feel like a squat, ungraceful thing next to these super tall chicks. i hope i grow but as i’m turning 17 in five days, i doubt it. anyways, interesting article/comments! cant believe there’s guys out there that are over 200 cm tall and not too out of norm. go to Mexico or something and you’d be look at like a giant!
I am Chinese Height 1.83（我是中国人身高1.83）
I’m Chinese too, currently at 1.87cm but still growing I think.
the study was saying it is relating to the amount of cows in a country. what do you think we giving the cows for food. quit a lot of grow hormones (cheaper ;). YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT, and we all know how much dairy we intake from milk and cheese in the morning till a piece of meat in the evening!…. I’m only not sure how much we eat from our own cow’s, i HEARD we sell our meat to Italy and import it from Scotland (picky about the fat)…
I’m 5’11 average hight women is
5’7 im from usa im dutch black irish fun to figure out ur hertiage traits:)
I am dutch and I’m 14 years old and 1.90 m (6’3) and I am not even the tallest in my class 🙂 My mom is American and we often travel to the States. There everybody is staring at me and ask me how tall I am! My father and my mother are also shorter than me.
I’m only 5″3 (1,60) so I don’t represent my country very well.
I make up for it by mixing the chocolate crunch with a cheaper variety.
I’m only 5’3 (1,60) so I don’t represent my country very well height-wise.
I make up for it by mixing the chocolate crunch with a cheaper number.
I’m only 4 ft 11 inches I was always small. I am the smallest in my family. I am 19 and I have a 13 year old cousin thats taller than me. My family members always make fun of me because I’m so small. At times I hate being smallbecause I can’t reach high stuff but I embrace being small. And I love tall guys my last bf was 6’2 :).
i’m 15 years and 172cm,the tallest girl in my class;im not dutch though
Indeed, I am a 183 cm dutch man but have very short legs for my size – I should be another 5 cm or so . Orange bove!
Going to Asia as a “purebreed” Dutch guy is fun. I average out at 182 cm but with a quite remarkable shoulderwidth (boxing). When visiting Asia some people came up to me, stared up (literally) and said I looked like a superhero. It was awesome. I never felt so safe walking any street, and the girls smiling at me (then ducking away when I looked).
And then the cold realization when you return, get off at Amsterdam Central and you’re nothing special anymore…
At 180 cms or 5 ft 9 I was always a bit on the short side of average in NL. And then I went to Ecuador. One day went to see a mass in a village church. Everyone knelt down, and so did I. I towered over everyone and felt them staring. I noticed a very short woman in front of me, and watched as she stood up: I still could see over her!
It was very cramped in buses and I noticed especially the indiginous people were a lot shorter than the others. (They were discriminated against very badly as well)
lol, tell me about it, I am Ecuadorian.
It’s definitely contagious. I have friend who is was born there and he’s Chinese, but he’s almost 1.90 m tall!
I’m a Dutch girl and only 162 cm (5’3) “tall” and all my friends always joke about me being so short. Well, I’m happy with my height, at least I fit in small places like air planes and trains, but it can be annoying when there are so many tall people around you in a crowded place!
As a teenager I can relate to this. At school most of my mates (including me) are 6ft 4inches!! If I walk on the Dam it is like walking amongst little people (especially asians). 😀
Then why are we so bad at Basketball or Volleyball? Our football stars are not known for being tall. (Wesley Sneijder is only 1.70 and the tallest in the team is van Persie measuring 1.86) Tall kids should start to play Basketball/Volleyball and will be very successful.
Its not just the Dutch from the Netherlands though…I live in a somewhat insulated American Dutch community and we all have the same height stats a hundred years away from living in the Netherlands
Kate, my Mom is from Holland, MI and she was the shortest growing up in her family of sisters at 5’9″ (feet and inches for you metric folk). My aunts and some of my girl cousins are over six feet tall. My brothers and boy cousins are six one through six four. I’m short at five eight!
I believe this is because genetically, whether well- or poorly-fed in their own time and place, Dutch people have the CAPACITY to grow really tall and heavy-boned, and probably are uniquely able to metabolize milk and beef among world ethnic groups. You give a lot of people lots of milk and beef, they get lactose-intolerant or get heart disease early. You give Dutch people milk and beef and we grow.
The Michiganders I came from originated from Drenthe in 1846, which I understand had a reputation for “growing them big” even among other Nederlanders back then. I think once those genetically-gifted boviphages came to North America, where there was room to pasture even MORE COWS (my Mom has ricketty fingers due to nutritional shortages during the Depression, but even she got to eat ice cream three or four times a day on top of all the milk and cheese). So here we Dutch types grew EVEN BIGGER.
My mom is now 82 and her extremely large frame has provided health setbacks as well as health benefits. When they chart her BMI, they have to use the statistics from the male side, because she is so physically large. But her muscles have wasted, meaning that her limbs are too heavy for her to lift. It’s not just height: my lower ribcage is 38 inches around even with all my breath expelled, even when I am lean enough to feel every rib. When I inhale, my chest expansion is four inches. I weigh almost 190 pounds and at five eight I am not fat. People think I am in the 140s, but it’s all bone weight.
My husband is Asian, and from a large family. Interestingly, the only sibling born on American soil, who grew up drinking milk, grew up to be 5′ 9″. Yet since switching to an American diet, the men now all have gout and my husband became diabetic when he was a lean, low-carb eating 42-year-old. So standard American nutrition, with its roots in beef and dairy cultures of northern europe probably is not good for 95 percent of us on the globe (and in modern America).
My parents were both born in the Netherlands, but met in the USA. My dad is 6’1″ & my mom is 5’8″ & I am 5′ 11″. I have been tall all of my life, taller than my older brother. My younger brother is 6’5″. there is a fair amount of tall Dutch people in Michigan, USA.
Dutch boy living in Australia, i reached 181cm at 11 years when puberty started and finally stopped at 196cm at 17 years old, Married a New Zealand girl who is normal height but the Dutch genes are powerful – my kids are all 120% + on the growth charts for kids.
The dutch are not the tallest, I am from the UK i’m in my 40s, female and i’m 5ft 10, my sister is also 5ft 10, my mum is 5ft 6 and feels short compared to most people. If 5ft 6 is average for a dutch female, its no taller than average here. My dad is 6ft 1, his 4 brothers are all over 6ft tall. In my last year at school there were two girls taller than me, both were 6ft 2, and many girls were my height 5ft 10, or slightly less. When i was dating at age 18, all the men i dated were 6ft tall or more, i didnt know of any guys shorter than me. Ive been married to a 6ft 1 man for 20 years, and even he says he feels short when he goes out in a crowd, most guys are taller than him. The UK average for women is supposed to be 5ft 4, which is wrong. Even my 5ft 10 sisters friends are mostly her height. And when i go out i dont feel terribly tall i feel average and sometimes even short in a crowd of men and women, and this is in the UK. If you measure true british people you will find the average height is much higher, many of the people measured in the UK are from other countries with a lower average height, which brings the average down. British people that have british ancestors are mostly tall. The dutch average for men and women, is the same as for the UK, and has been for at least the past 30 years.
I;m a dutch male at 1.81 (6 ft i think) and I feel really short. I really think I got something like a small short man syndrome or something. I find myself overaggresive towards tall guys (tall in holland is about 1.95 or 6ft 5 i think), not that I will start a fight or something, but I just sometimes imagine that they feel themselves superior compared to me and that pisses me off..
I think it’s because my dad is 2.00 meters tall (6ft 7) and I do a lot of kickboxing, most of the guys in my weightclass tower over me (im fairly heavy for my lenght with 84 kilos).
God I wish i was a few centimeters taller..
By the way I drank tons of milk and ate lots of cheese when I was young (still do) And I have a tall dad so I guess that hypothesis is incorrect.
I’m the smallest from a family of giants, my dad being 6 feet tall, my mother and sister 6″2 and my brother taking the crown with a shocking 7 feet while I am only 5,9 but I am still smaller than most of my dutch friend, My foreign friends (especially the women) are far smaller than I am which I always found odd since in high school I was one of the smaller girls! (BTW I’m from the high north where the dutchies are bred even taller!
We live in a Dutch settled area of the USA. Most of us can claim grandparents or great-grand parents that immigrated from the Netherlands. I don’t think it’s the milk of the Netherlands unless we drink as much here. The average height for men in our area is 6 ft and I’m considered short at 5’7″. I married my husband overseas and didn’t even consider him short (at 5′ 8″) until we returned to my hometown. He comes up to everyone’s chins and seems VERY short around here. 🙂
Dairy consumption may indeed be a factor. Anecdotically, with 6′ 1″, I am by some margin the shortest of four brothers, and the only one not to have consumed any milk post-infancy.
But dairy consumption can’t be the whole story: there are actually two countries that consume more per capita (Sweden and Finland) and a few unlikely tallest-people-candidates in the top 10, such as Greece and Albania.
In fact, the original Germanic colonizers of the country, the Batavians – from whom between 40-50% of Dutch people descent – were described by the Romans (Tacitus, among others) as being extraordinarily tall and athletic. They were prized as excellent swimmers and amphibious warriors, and became one of a few subjugated tribes in the empire to retain considerable autonomy. They were even exempted from tribute, in return for delivering recruits for the elite cohorts of the Imperial Guard.
Why those Batavians grew so tall is anybody’s guess. Maybe those long limbs facilitate swimming, a clear advantage in watery environments like the Dutch river deltas the Batavians inhabited. Or maybe being tall in a largely flat landscape enhances surveillance skills, as one can see further away – much like the vigilant hare sitting upright in the field.
The Chinese seem to think it’s in the milk though. Which is probably why there has been a massive run on Dutch babymilk by Chinese tourists lately.
I don’t think dairy products have anything to do with being tall. I drink plenty of milk and eat a lot of cheese and yogurt however I’m only 160cm (5’2). That is short for even USA averages. However The Netherlands sure does have some very tall people. I wonder if I would be stared at for being so short if I visited. O.o
On business in the Netherlands I saw many tall women, but not many tall men. Then somebody pointed out I wasn’t looking for men. Oh yeah, right.
The reason for the tallness is most certainly a matter of survival of the fittest. The lowlands flood regularly, you know. :-p
I am 6’0″ and I am visiting Amsterdam. Will I be one of the tallest men or are there other dutch men taller?. If so by how much are the tallest common dutch men taller than me by?
I am 6’0″. I am visiting Amsterdam. Will I be one of the tallest men there or will there be other dutch men taller. How much taller will the tallest dutch men be compared to me?
Me being a dutchy standing 6 ft 4, making an educated guess I’d say about 10%.
Hey Mike. I just turned 16 and am 185cm 6ft1. I’m average amongst my dutch friends of my age. Other dutch men will be definitely taller. Don’t feel bad my dad is 6’4 and even people are a bit taller then him sometimes. (My dad is considered quite tall)
I am a french man who has been living in the Netherlands for more than 15 years. I love this country but I still cannot stand 3 things: the bad weather, the bad food and almost always being the shortest man in a group of people. Really irritating. I am 1,80m tall/short.
I’m Chinese! Chinese average male height is 1.7M! In fact, there are a lot more than 1.8M! Our school has a girls height 1.8M! There are a 1.94M tall boys
I’m Dutch – And my nephew at age 15 is seven foot tall… AND STILL GROWING.
We seem to be getting taller with every generation.
I need to have kids with a Dutch woman to compensate for my shortiness, but that will be difficult.
its easy for short girls, any tall guy likes short women. Same can’t be said vice versa
“I need to have kids with a Dutch woman to compensate for my shortiness, but that will be difficult.”
Ha ha ha , I had the same thought. I am ecuadorian dwarf girl. I married my husband 6’5″ , I met him in USA after living a year in Holland, I thought he was dutch. Hopefully my daughter will be a lot taller than me.
I have Dutch heritage on my mother’s side, and all of the men are/were over 6 feet (183 cm). My mother was almost 5’9”. I am 6’1” (185 cm) male, My sisters are both 5’8″. I could’ve been a lot taller if it weren’t for my father’s genes. He’s only 5’9.5″. When I would visit the Netherlands, I often felt that I fit right in being “average” male height there. Then there were a few times when I felt like a shorty. One thing that often puzzled me in NL was that men much taller than me often wore the same shoe size as me, or even smaller! I wear a US 11.5 (45 EUR) which is rather normal for a guy over 6 feet. But these towering Dutch guys over 190 cm wearing a 45 as well? Or even less?? Bizarre!! This was not uncommon, either. I would expect a man over 190 cm to wear no less than a 46 or 47 (US 12,13). Being that tall with disproportionately smaller feet makes me think they’d easily topple over. There may be shorter men in the US, but at least our feet are better proportioned to our height. Weight is a different topic, though, I won’t go there. 😉
speaking for all the dwarfs in the Netherlands, I am only 5’1, and I have plenty of girl friends who vary between 5’3 and 5’5, so it’s not true that we’re all insanely tall. Granted, all the guys I know truly are xD
Its about averages, and when you step on a plane with dutch people its very different than going in a plane filled of french or british who are way way shorter as a whole.
You could say the same about blond hair, not all ethnic dutch are blond, but chances a 100% dutch is blonde haired are way higher than any other european being blonde (bar a few scandinavian nationalities here). Holland is one of the few countries where I’ve felt like an outlier for having dark hair, walking among so many blonde man made me feel insecure… hahah. It seems like nearly every dutchmen is blonde, or at least has some hair color quite close to blonde, such as lightbrown/goldenbrown,etc in the case if he is a “brunette”. And some of the blondes are way too blonde too hahah. I want to imagine how a typical short Italian man with thick black/very darkbrown hairs must feel in Netherlands, specially outside randstad area hahaha.
This article is COMPLETELY wrong.
Your height comes from the history of where your family has lived over hundreds/thousands of years. People from flat countries/countries not very much above sea level are tall. While countries where people have to live in mountainous areas (lots of steep slopes, hills, and way up sea level) are small – for example, nepalese people (Mount Everest), peruvians (Machu Pichu), people in the south of China/north of Vietnam area etc.
I’m a 174cm Chinese girl living in Netherlands; To be honest merging into a country where people around you are either as tall as you or even taller can make quite a nice experience. Among previous travelling to the Phillipines, Malaysia etc people are always staring at me, as if I’m a huge, white Asian giant.. While in east China it’s alright, people there are much taller, maybe even the tallest of all Asians.
ima cdn dutch (actually frisian) man who is a hair under 6′ tall. i am the smallest male in my extended family and am the same height and have the same shoe size (9) as my two sister and mom. my brohter is 4 inches taller (size 12) . in dantes infeno there is a giant so big 3 frisians cant bring him down. too bad we’re know for being the newfies, albeit large ones, of holland.
as my friend says, im frisian but taking medicine for it.
Hi my name is Kees van Duinen from the netherlands and i’m 204 cm tall. Is there a way to look shorter?
Its funny that this length is not only for teh native dutch. Seems that the 2nd and 3rd generation “pure blood” immigrants are taller then there old countryman that stayed in the own country.
(no this is not racism just to point out that children of immigrants that dont mix with native dutch still grow larger then ppl from there original country)
Psh… I visited the Netherlands not too long ago…
People there were average…. AVERAGE!
Like Canadian – Average.
Nothing special, people.
Here in the Netherlands I’m on the tall side for a woman, but not extremely so. For over five years now I stand at 178cm (5foot 10inch) which doesn’t really bother me that much. I have seen women standing at 6foot or taller. I still wear heels and feel fabulous, but I love even taller men which makes it hard for me to like foreign male celebrities which are almost always at least my own height or shorter (Of course there are exceptions when it comes to Australian and British men, but still)
First of all 180cm is NOT 6’0 its not even 5’11 . So Sarah and a few others are over measuring so many 5’11-6’1 Dutch girls here and in general are probably 5’9.5-6’0 there’s some in accuracy going on here. Erik I agree with you. It is rude especially since they have a false sense of security and aren’t really taller than you. If a 5’7-5’9 woman wears heels and you are 5’11-6’1 forget it.they will bit look much shorter or even be taller (5’9 in heels would be6’0 maybe maybe even 6’1ish) also a tall woman is not attractive its a bit masculine . I mean 5’8-5’9 maybe but come on 5’11-6’1 is man height. In the USA here many stupid guys may like it but generally 5’1-5’8 is best.
I doubt the Dutch are legit 6’1. That’s a shoe height average. Actual average is 6’0 which means many men will be 5’11-6’4. At 6’0 most guys will have a few inches on you like 6’2-6’4 I think. Even in USA 6’1-6’2 is classic tall. 6’3-6’5 I think is classic tall in Holland. How many men do you see 6’3-6’6? Are most men in your office 6’0-6’3? I mean surely its not like they are 6’4 -6’8 towering you!
Aj, yo clearly never been to the NL. Dutch men are easily 6’1 on average, at least ethnic dutch men. Now the young people (17-25) must be closer to 6’2 than anything. I know a few solid 6’1 guys who been to holland all felt kind of short or average at best…
WHite anglo men (US, UK, Australia) are midgets in comparison. Even germans and most other northern europeans are noticeable shorter (maybe about 1.5 to 2 inches) the only nationality that comes somewhat close are the Danes, who are like 1 inch shorter than dutch people, and even the danes must be easily 6 feet tall on average, the youngers maybe above it..
aj, your comment is right on the spot. The most rigorous scientific research shows that Dutch men of this generation are 6’0″ (1.828m) on average, no taller. People very unrigorously assume that every generation some increase is made, which has no logical basis. In fact, there was a paper that showed the mean Dutch height has slightly decreased (from 1.837m to 1.83m or something like that), just two of the reasons being decreased milk intake per capita per year and increased rates of obesity.
Miroslav, your comment is clearly biased. You are calling some pretty tall people (Americans etc.) midgets, which is clearly false and shows that you have a very emotionally charged comment. They are already taller than most people in the world. Your unrigorous reasoning that every new generation is taller is completely false and illogical; for instance the Scandinavians have hit their genetic ceiling and have stopped growing over the past 50 years or so. Most Europeans have almost reached their height limits. You think that just by observing random people on the street you can make the distinction between a population-wide average height of 6′ or 6’1 or 6’2, which is ridiculous. Your observation skills cannot even precisely tell whether a person is 5’11 or 6’2 let alone ascertain precisely over many people what their average height is.
I’m Dutch woman and I’m 1,58 m, (5’2). So for a dutchie quite small. In mij office most of my colleques are over 6’1 tall. In schools on sportsclubs everywhere I was always the smallest.
So when I’m on holiday I’m always happy that I am then the one of average length
My 12 year old sister is 1.74m, (5’10)
When some of my luggage was stolen in Marseilles (just before boarding a train to Brussels) in the middle of my vacation, I had to replace a lot of clothing. At 6′ 4″ I had absolutely no luck finding anything that fit in Belgium. Our next stop was to visit my sister in Hoofddorp – I found pants and shirts in every store there that fit perfectly!
How would would i look compared to the tallest man u know im 5’11 130lbs
Ha-ha! And here I am, a 16 year old Dutch girl who is a mere 5ft2 (158 cm) and no longer growing… Now excuse me while I go sit down and sulk in a random, dark corner :’)
People in my country are getting shorter and shorter
Wow, I’m a 174 cm woman, quite tall for southern Europe… I need to move to the Netherlands asap 🙂
Dutch men are so very cute.
I don’t know if Dutch people are tall. I know lots of small Dutch people, so…
I’m 1.74 . Beautiful length. Not too small not too tall.
But almost everyone (woman) is smaller than me
I’ am 188cm = 6ft 2 in dutch woman. I’ts no problem for me en also whear high heels 🙂 Only on vacation in Indonesia, I was an attraction for the population 🙂
This is one of the reasons I love visiting the Netherlands. I am 5’8″, of Polish nationality and raised in Canada. I was consistently the tallest of my (girl)friends, and even most boys. Even now as an adult there are SO many shorter people around me. In Europe when I visit Spain, Portugal, Italy, I am still tall – but in the Netherlands? I fit right in 🙂
Could you mention the adventages of being tall instead of average, regarding your own experience? That would be very interesting!!!
My MIL thinks it’s the hormone in meat that they consumed makes them taller. There are also study showing that consuming cow’s milk does not strengthen one’s bone, in fact it works the opposite.
I have good friends that are Dutch, and somewhat short (compared to all their cousins back in the Netherlands). Their Dutch parents moved to Canada and all the kids were born and raised in Canada… So I definitely think it has less to do with genes, and more to do with diet. Could be the milk… But that being said… When I was in high school I went there and grew two inches in one month…and hadn’t grown at all in the prior two years, and didnt drink a ton of milk while I was there. So… Maybe it could have been a late growth spurt… But maybe there something in the food there that isn’t elsewhere. Anyone know their regulations on growth hormone in foods?
I am a 1.85 m tall Dutch woman married to a 1.95 m tall man, who is the smallest of his brothers, my brother is 1.95m and my two sons are likely to grow above 2m … We help the average go up …
Don’t think that you stand out in the Netherlands if you’re smaller than the dutch. I’m a 5.11″ dutch male, and yes, I am regularly dwarfed by friends towering over me. Still, there are plenty of smaller people around. Also keep in mind that you’re not playing volleyball or basketball all the time. Many of my friends experience difficulties travelling in planes. Taller people often move with less ease. Think dancinc and stuff! On the dubject of chairs, it’s normally the tall people who struggle with the standard size chairs and tables.
I’m 1.69, but my boyfriend is 1.99. Poor guy. And I’m actually kinda small if you’d see me in my group of friends. But most of them are guys, so I guess that’s normal :’)
I am 6.3 and I hate milk! Never drank it!
Cool article! My daughter and I visited the Netherlands this past summer and were astonished at the tall Dutch guys (and gals). We kept commenting with astonishment at their height. Now when we see a tall guy in the states (6’2″ or taller) we say he’s “Dutch tall”.
6’9” Dutch man living in a world that is, quite frankly, way too small. I am not tall, it’s just that everybody else is so short. We are all midgets. Some of us are just tall midgets. Get over it!
I’m 1.93 metres tall which is 6.3 ft and I’m having problems with my height already, but there are plenty Dutchies who are taller than me!
1.93 is 6 ‘4 inches.
When I was young, living in The Netherlands, I was taller and always looked over the crowds. Now, about 30 years later, I feel small when I walk in the streets of Holland. And I am 1.85 m. Now, about the medium height. so, 50 % of the Dutch men are taller than I am. It is no exception of my nephews being 1.90 m or more. What I think why: The Dutch diet based on eating everyday of all the types of food that is recommended (from five-division-food-disc – as I remember well?!). In other words, complete food every day from childhood on, that is in my opinion “the secret” of the tallest people of the world.
I am considered a shorty (1.79 m) !
I think this Dutch height thing is a tad over played and am not quite sure where it originates or why it would be assumed they’ve shot up in height when everyone else has stagnated or shrunk!Can’t quite see what would be the reason for this Dutch spike. , lol Unless there’s something in them herrings! It’s like saying everyone in Sweden is blonde and blue eyed . They’re not! Italians are all shortish , they’re not..etc ..
I did not really see that bigger difference between what i see in London and about than what i saw in Germany and about and i am sure holland is the same-ish.. However between North and Southern Europe there is by and large an appreciable difference and ,off on a tangent,.Japanese people are taller than you may think although not that long ago they really were mostly all munchkins! So i guess everyone can get an upgrade lol.
Because you are visiting the large cities that are.
1) filled with tourists
2) even locals are mixed down in the line
I’ve loved in England for years.The average man is 177 cm (5’9 1/2) and the average woman looks about 163-164 cm (5’4- 5’4 1/2)
British people are shorter than other northern europeans because they are mixed with mediterranean peoples (thats why they also have more dark hair compared to dutch or scandinavian too)
GErmans are mixed with slavic, specially with polish and czech, and even 100% germanic tribes were shorter than dutch.
Average german man is about 181-182 cm (5’11 1/2 range ) and average german woman is 168-170 cm ( 5’6-5’7 range) germans of the north and northwest are taller, germans from south and specially the east tend to be shorter.
Now dutch are much taller
I estimate ethnic dutch men (counting fullly dutch non allochtonen or ethnic dutch with some indonesian who are usually lumped as fully ethnic dutch) to be around 185-186 which is 6’1 – 6’1 1/2 in average. Now dutch women is about 172-173 cm in average (5’8 range)
So the differences are
Dutch women 173 cm
German women 169 cm
British women 164 cm
Dutch men 185,5 cm
GErman men 181,5 cm
British men 176,5 cm
The dutch are on average 4 cm (1,5 inches) taller than germans in both genders, and 9 cm taller than the brits (3,6 inches)
I am a Dutch man, 34 yrs old, 180cm tall. I think I am shorter than the average man, because I never liked to drink milk. Though, I do eat almost half a kg of cheese a week. Does that count?
I have lived half of my life in Holland and the other half in Indonesia. I prefer living in Indonesia, where I stick out a bit and get all the attention 🙂
Harry Bond J.
I am the dutch average female height of 5 ft 6 however I feel like a dwarf here in Holland so I am pretty sure the females average is taller than that. Very annoying at concerts, cinema or any public gatherings…can’t see a thing lol
This. One of my girlfriend sisters is 5’6 and she is about the smallest woman around (if you only count the ethnic dutch), bar some very old women. She is easily 2-3 inches shorter on average than most of the other young women.
I would say in a typical place which attracts young attendance (17-25).. lets say a clothe shopping place or a bar/disco, the bulk of the ethnic dutch population must be about 5’9 (175 cm) for women and 6’2 (188 cm) for men. Germans are about 2 inches shorter than the dutch on average. Only the danes come close, but they are still, maybe 1 inch smaller. All other nations I’ve been had much smaller populations.
Now for all ethnic dutch population should be 5’7-5’8 (171-172 cm) for women and 6’1 for men (185 cm).
But its not only height, Another thing that makes the dutch stand out is how blonde they are. If you are a foreign and have been to the Netherlands, specially outside the randstad area you will sort of understand what I’m talking about. I dont think I recall seeing as many natural blond people as in rural northern netherland , well there is Denmark, Sweden and Norway.. but besides the scandinavian nations I think Holland is easily the country with the blondest population in europe. When I was in the UK I hardly saw a genuine blonde girl (yes Im talking about locals with dark roots and too much make up), but the NL was loaded with beautiul tall natural blondes, must be something about the north-sea genetics, since I saw something similar in denmark..
Many of the comments from the cloggies show how proud they are of being tall; especially the women. This gives a clue to why the Dutch are so tall – it is simple evolution. The Netherlands became a matriarchy earlier than most other countries. Women define what is normal here. Many studies show that women are genetically programmed to prefer taller mates. It only took a few generations of this ‘un-natural’ selection to breed out shortness and select for height. Why in the Netherlands and not elsewhere? Again, women’s power. Even if a woman married a shorter man, she still had the freedom to choose a taller lover who would father her children. I am willing to bet that the incidence of ‘cuckoo children’ in Dutch marriages is markedly higher here than in most other countries. Of course as women get more power around the world, the Dutch will find that other nations catch up for the same reason.
But why don’t we exell in playing basketball ??
Hello, I’m a Portuguese girl that is coming to the Netherlands next year as an exchange student and I recently found out about Netherlands’ height , let’s say, conditions, and I’ve gotten really scared because I’m only 173 cm tall and I’m afraid of being ostracized or diminished in group work situations or even in social situations… Does that happen often?
Don´t worry! 173 cm is super normal in the Netherlands! I´m tall myself (180cm) but most of my girlfriends are much shorter, I guess 173 is average and you can easily wear high heels and not feel tall, but just normal. Even without high heels there will be girls shorter than you are. And the Dutch do not judge on how tall you are. So just enjoy the tall guys here. 😉
I am a guy with173 cm height. I am not considered tall but above average cuz Men’s average height is about 5’6 in my country. I used to work with a tv channel and once I had to interview dutch people which was too difficult for me cuz two ladies were like 6’1 and a dutch guy was around 6’5.
I am a guy with173 cm height. I am not considered tall but above average cuz Men’s average height is about 5’6 in my country. I used to work with a tv channel and once I had to interview dutch people which was too difficult for me cuz two ladies were like 6’1 and a dutch guy was around 6’5.
Every centimeter above 153 cm takes about 6 months of your average life expectancy. It is rather deadly to be Dutch. http://www.the-incredible-shrinking-man.net
I’m a 1,81m (5ft11in) guy from the Netherlands and people call me short sometimes. Even though it is way above world average height. I dunno. Don’t really think it’s the milk, cause I see Moroccan, Turkish and Aruban kids getting taller too. And they don’t really drink milk that often. I think it’s just healthy food overall. And some HGH that’s being stuffed in the meat products. We all know that still happens.
OMG
i’m 2.00 meters, from holland, i’m allergic to milk. so don’t drink milk. doesn’t make an sense to me:P
I am sure that we are growing tall because the water level is rising, we just need to keep our head above water when the dikes break.
Hahahaha, good joke, Jacqueline! 🙂
Now, if your remark was supposed to be serious, please think twice: NAP (Nieuw Amsterdams Peil) is 0 metres, the sea level between high and low tide, but the North Sea rises to +2 metres on an average high tide and even to +3 metres in a storm at high tide. The average spot in just over half of the Netherlands is at -1 metres below sea level, so how would you keep your head above the water at high tide, if the dike would really be broken?
The ice on the poles is melting. When this process has finished and put all the ice off into the sea, the new sea level will be at least 7 metres higher than today. I just don’t understand why they are still developing a new residential area in Zevenhuizen, because this whole area between Rotterdam is between -5 and -7 metres below sea level. This means that serious flooding by the North Sea would even kill people sitting on their roofs: no matter how tall they are, they would be washed off.
Ah, I am so happy I bought an appartment on the 8th floor… 😉
I’m a 16 year old Dutch boy, but i’m quite small here. I’m one of the smallest in my classroom compaired to my classmates. What’s the average in height of 16 year old’s in the US and Canada anyway?
I’m Dutch i am 10 years old. Half American. Im 1 m and 62 cm.
Hello Colleen,
I heard about your website only yesterday, when you were in a well known Dutch radio show, called ‘Met het oog op morgen’ (with the eye on tomorrow; the show oddly starts with ‘Gute nacht, Freunde’, a song in German, which has been their tune since 1976) to present your book to the audience of Radio1, our national news radio station (public broadcasting).
In this blog you mention the Klub Lange Mensen, KLM, as the club foor the tall people. The correct spelling however would be Club voor lange mensen. I think they deliberately misspelled their own name, to create an allusion to the other KLM, the Koninklijke LuchtvaartMaatschappij, which used to be our national airline, untill it had to merge with AirFrance.
I guess that if you are over 2 metres tall, people suppose that you have your head up high in the sky, hence the KLM-joke with the name of the tall people’s association. Another ‘funny’ question that tall people hear too often would be “Is het koud daarboven!?” (Is it cold up there!?). I am only 181 cm tall, which is slightly below the Dutch average, so I sneaked an extra centimetre into my passport.
My passport says I am 182 since I met a girl who was just 1 cm taller than I am. To me, it was not a problem. She, however, didn’t think it was funny, because she wanted to wear high heels and still look up to her boy friend. What is it with Dutch women, who claim the right to be equal, but stick to traditional roles whenever it suits them!? Why is it so important to look up to your boy friend, when you are equal?
I don’t mind looking up to tall women. Well, now I think about it, I wonder why nobody mentioned that short men look right into the cleavage of tall women… It can be quite a task to admire the view, while politely trying to keep looking into their eyes! And I learned that being about the same length as your girlfriend certainly is an advantage if you try to make love, standing upright in the shower… 😉
Most of the above reflect like children, meaning the taller the better. However the most important question is – what height is biologically optimal for mankind? The answer is about 1,75-1,80m with tolerable limit up to 1,90. It`s an established medical fact that every drastic diversions from norm such as overweight or overgrowth overburden and faster wear out the human organism. So height above 1,88 – 1,90 is not a priority but defect and even illness. Moreover, many of giants are rather walking skeletons or suchlike. As a rule they are good only at basketball and volleyball in young age and usually become invalids when retired (lately there are also about 1,95 swimmers and sprinters – record-breakers but apparently due to chemical stimulus). Very typical for giants is also their instinctive affinity for midget women so that reach more vital, normal generation. Besides, the reason for the phenomenon acceleration ascertained for the past 50-60 years is that the humans take by meat and dairy food the drugs given to domestic animals for faster gaining height and weight. Therefore the tallest peoples such as Dutch are such ones not because of belonging to a Nordic race of supermen but for their most taking the growing stimulus by food and not for “best” nutrition at all. Therefore their needless stature is object of sympathy and not for admiration or envy.
It is alleged that Dutch are the tallest Europeans because of nutrition rich in dairy products. However they had the same nutritive regime about 150-200 years ago, when they were the shortest. Such a miraculous leap in height for the past some 20-30 years! Therefore it seems convincing the foregoing opinion that the contemporary Dutch and suchlike “Vikings” are the tallest for their most taking the overgrowth stimulus by food and not for “best” nutrition at all, but their needless stature is anyhow object of sympathy and not for admiration or envy. As it gonna be, the Dutch, Danes and so on are proud of their becoming increasingly taller but not aware of turning into peoples of Frankenstein type?! Just look at the Americans that only until about 50 years ago were considered taller than the Europeans but now they are left behind because of keeping however their optimal stature for human race (Charlie Sheen, Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford are perfect models), unlike the “Nordic” Europeans. Furthermore, what amount of food is plenty for a 2,10m tall Frankenstein?! How about millions suchlike? Obviously this is steadily increasing disaster for the world, which could be overcome by ceasing artificial treating the domestic animals, which aims at quick gaining weight and height and turning them into GMO as well. In the same respect, not only males above 1,90m, but also women above 1,80m should definitely look for shorter sexual partners instead of stereotypical taller, and prejudices such as paying “public opinion tax”, need of walking on heels etc. aren`t relevant in such cases. Moreover, it is established medical fact that women taller than their male partners-fertilizers lightly carry their pregnancy and bear easier but subsequently completely recover their figures in good time. As a matter of fact, it`s even a paradoxical priority of tall women (American Zrinka Kristich should be recognized perfect indeed, despite her 1,98m height).
I’m 13 and I’m 190cm
Hi all..
L.synder, how is the typical dutch look like??
My ex dutch bf is 1.98m & he is too tall for me.every time we talked or kissed,he must looked down at me.hahahaha other dutch guy who am dating is less than 1.8m because if i stand next to him with my 12cm heels,i will have same height with him.
When I lived in Vancouver (Canada, named for a Dutch sailor apparently), the starting five for the NBA team, The Grizzlies (now in Memphis) was shorter than the starters fir the bball team at the Reformed High School out in the Fraser Valley.
Many of those dutch in north america werent dutch from the netherlands but in fact flemish belgians… remember that flanders used to be part of the kingdom of the low countries back in the day and they also speak dutch.
However the flemish are much shorter in average, and also more likely to be brown haired. Dutch look like blond giants in comparison
Its fully also that in the US many people who claim to have dutch blood are southern german (pallatine dutch, who are in fact south-west german roots, not dutch)
But why can’t I find a pair of female shoes in a size 43 (UK size 9) in the Dutch high streets. I used to have to travel to Amsterdam to find shoes that fit. In the UK there is much more choice.
Milk is not healthy, people…i mean, it is, for little calf, not for humans..
I think one of the main reasons we are such a tall nation is because women in the Netherlands were allowed to pick their own husband earlier than most other nations. Since women prefer taller men over shorter men (don’t tell me it’s not true) some sort of natural selection took place and caused our country’s growthspurt.
Being 1.64m at a Dutch concert is not really nice no. But I do have the feeling that the Northern Dutch inhabitants are taller than the Southern ones, but that is based on my experience and observation!
I’m 166 centimeters, that would be about 5 ft 3 inch.. and i’m considered a short person here. At parties, I have to be careful not to get an elbow in my face.
I’m 1.93 metres tall. My two brothers are almost 2 metres tall. Our family average height for men are 1.88 m and for women 1.79. We are above the Dutch average yay!
So true… In my age group (women under 30) i’m average at 5ft9 (1.75m). In my family i am waaay short… dad: 6ft7 mom: 5ft10 brothers: 6ft6 uncle: 7ft1 (2.16m i kid u not) and neece: 6ft4
191cm and lactose intollerant.
I would be interested to know what percentage of the population has type 0 blood.
why? is there a link?
Bullshit… I drink and eat almost no dairy products…. And measure 1.94. I think it is because we eat more bread products as almost all other countries have a normal decent lunch and we eat twice per day a lot of boterhammen… or because we have a lot of various dinners, meals from a lot of cultures. Potatoes could also be something.. Just my wild guess no supported scientific research… probably also in our genes… Who was btw in that time the tallest nation?
Haha love how this is written. I’m a 5ft7 woman, age 30, and I remember always being the shortest girl in all the classes, jobs, scouting groups, music groups… Living in France made me realize that I’m NOT short!
I’m 186 (6ft1) and I’m a woman 😛
Hi there,
I am 1,84 meter tall and in my family I am the tallest one but with my friend I am the little one. 🙁
Hmm i feel short being ‘only’ 1,68 m xD. Yay me
So, I am a bit of a mutt, but my heaviest blood lines are Dutch and Danish. I’m 19; however I range on the short side for my family being only 5’4″ tall. My mom is 5’6″ and my dad is 6’2″ (dad is the Danish one). But my dutch grandfather is also 6’2″ and my cousins are even taller than that, probably closer to 6’4″ if not a little more. Its weird being from either bloodline and being so darn short. Even if I am average height for my friends.
Perhaps it is from another bloodline that I got my height. My dad mainly gave me Danish blood with a splash of Scotts-Irish and Welsh; and my mom gave me her almost perfect split of Dutch, Italian and Finnish.
I’m a 5ft2 Dutch girl ;”) *cries*
Perhaps the Dutch got that way when short people drowned when the polders flooded 😉
There is a theory that growth hormone added to cows feed comes via dairy products in the food chain, so people who consume a lot of dairy are getting taller (The Dutch)
6’11″here. Or 2.06 meter. Have been 13 times at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France and have only met one time a (Danish) man who was 2.05 mtr. There are many tall men in Holland, but over two meters are not so many of them.
Both my parents are dutch. I am 5”10” female. I’ve always been the tallest but I’m even taller than my parents who were born in the Netherlands….weird.
First of all: who gives a flying fuck that we Dutch women would be taller than the average American men? Second of all: this graph is obviously misleading as it starts at 1.5 meters. Yeah… then a difference of 10 cms looks like almost half of the total body 😉
I am a 1.85 Dutch girl and I live in France and surprise surprise… I don’t feel any taller here then in NL. There are plenty of younger girls that are my height or close to my hight. And plenty of handsome French guys taller then me.
If ya Ain’t Dutch ya Ain’t much.
3 rd generation Dutch / Aussie and my son Jan is 16 and already 185cm.
Netherlanders are consistently Dutch, living Dutch, birthing Dutch babies, and up they grow! The U.S. average includes people ranging from Dutch, Swedish and German, to Indian, Mexican and Thai. Very different cultures don’t often intermarry so there is still huge variation, also with diet and lifestyle. Being a 6ft German American female I like the height of things in Holland, but where oh where are the large size shoes? They are more easily found in the U.S. and Canada.
the downside is…
we are very expensive !
we need more food to sustain our lenghty bodies
we need more cotton for our clothes
we need higher doorposts in our houses and thats more building material…
we need more leather for our shoes
and so on !
we should stop drinking so much milk and eat less cheese…
I’m 5’11’ and was dead average in NL, couldn’t see over a crowd, an absolute “medium” in clothing. 5’6.5″ seems….short for an average there.
I am 188 ft tall indian guy and average indian is aroung 165-170 . But the present generation below 18 is around 175-177. Basically i m the tallest in the house one of my uncle and a cousin is 180 cm(from mother side) . my mother is 5ft 2 and father is around 5-7. i am being 6-2 . Quite an accomplishment . its quite frustuating answering 5-8inch brothers asking what did i ate what exercise i do.
But height doesnt equal skill. so improve your skills height is just an add-on guys.
I am looking for a “too tall” Dutchman to donate pieces of leg bones to be transplanted into my s”short-arse” legs. I think the Dutch people grew longer since they started to make dykes which is below sea-level. They then had to stretch to be able to see what was going on around them!!
Its evolution. During a flood, taller people are likely to survive better and their kids tend to be tall as well. So the reason could be Dutch history.
The crux is in you final call: drink you milk CHILDREN. The point is to never ever stop. As an adult every morning, every lunch: drink milk, eat cheese, butter your bread, have yoghurt. It’s dairy 24×7 until you drop.
I love being 1.83m tall (and being Dutch) 🙂
As to your question about the reason for the tallness: I heard about these two theories: (1) It’s a serious and spreading gland-deficiency and malfunction of some kind (2) There is so much mud and dog-crap in the streets that people grow taller to avoid being splashed and to avoid the stink. I’ve lived there. It does makes some sense..
2.06 here, that’s 6’8″? And already 55 years old. In my younger years, everybody on the street looked at me like I was a giant. Not nice then, not nice now. I go for holidays to France each year and there they are more the way they look until you passed. But still, its no fun.
I’m a 5 ft 7 (1.70 meters exactly) Dutch woman/girl and I consider myself on the shorter side of average. I’m defintely not short, but most women are taller than me. Even if it’s just an inch.
Hi, I’m an English women living in Amsterdam, and being 170cm I blend perfectly in. Phew!
Actually, this is not true (that not very much above sea level people are tall, and mountainous people are short). IN FACT, Dutch are not the tallest nation in the world. The tallest nation in the world are MONTENEGRIN people, (a country in West Balkans, South-East Europe, former Yugoslavia) or at least as tall as Dutch. Thus no room for vertical superiority : ). Montenegro is a very mountainous contry which makes your theory wrong. Also Serbs are very tall as well (also West Balkans).
Usually, how often a Montenegrin boy is over 200 cm plus? One out of 50? I heard of 2 meter guys are not uncommon to be seen in Montenegro. What do you think?
Well, I am a dutch woman, 34 yrs old, and my height is 1.83 m. I still remember the moment some Canadians were over at my friends house and they were so surprised by seeing me, they wanted to take a picture standing right beside me. It was so funny.
Furthermore, I must say that I haven’t felt tall in Denmark or Germany while working in those countries.
Wow. All of you are so tall! I’m visiting the Netherlands this summer and it really hadn’t occurred to me how big the height difference would be between me and Dutch women my own age (I’m 23). I’m only 4ft10, which I believe is about 147cm. How many inches or cm taller than me are you saying the average young dutch woman is?
Don’t worry about being short. There are so many folks from all over the world who are shorter living in the Netherlands that you are not going to feel too short. One thing that’s not mentioned : Almost everyone born between 1940 and 1945 ( WW 2 ) is a lot shorter !! than the average now. Lack of food caused this.
It seems the Dutch are tall but have smallish feet. I am 5’10” which is slightly shorter than the Dutch male average at around 6, but I wear size 51 shoes. My cousin (a girl) who is 5’7′ wears a 46. Granted that we both have freakishly ginormous feet (no we are not fat Americans, skinny but with long limbs and huge toes), and no one ever has larger feet than us 🙁 .But I noticed working at a tourist location that many Dutch men who are taller have kinda small feet for their size, it looks a bit strange. That could explain why the shoe sizes in the Netherlands don’t seem to match the height as one would expect (more big size shoes). We’ve never met anyone with 51 or 46 on a man and woman who was remotely close to our height. We are Sasquatches 🙂
Sorry but let me tell you have very big feet 😛 I am 5’8″ (172) yet my feet size is 39 (french stadard) and it looks normal (not too big nor too small). but still you are lucky if you find good shoes..my sister 174cm have a problem ,her shoes size over 41, but that is mostely because wide at top (large bone next to big toe) my brother 188cm wears shoes of 45~46. He dont have big problem but my sis does she hardly can find a nice shoe with her size 😀 40 it is considered too big for a woman!
I am not dutch but I have something to say about the theory of small houses, small doors and houses dont mean short people it may just a system to keep a warm house.. I am from Algeria (that’s in north Africa) originally from the highlands populations called Chaouis, climat was very cold and snow covring all winter. the old houses are small with small doors yet my ancestors were very tall, taller than actual They even have stories how two brothers they fighted using a house collumn 🙂 my great uncle was over 2m tall and yet his ancestors to be taller. Now days we are going shorter in general Im just 172cm my sis 174 my brother is 185cm. Thats very short for dutch i know 😀 but comparing to rest of the population we are bit tall. So I think dutch were alwys tall but now taller bcause of quality of life!
does this actually work cause people make fun of me because of my height and im only 3ft something and i want to reach 5 ft
Someone disagrees with you about the ‘dairy’ angle: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/08/scientists-try-to-answer-why-dutch-people-are-so-tall
I Am a Dutch guy standing at 220 cm I believe I win in tallest haha eadc
I’m a 5’9 woman from the US. I always felt tall growing up; I’ve been the same height since I was 13, so I even used to tower over the boys! Some people caught up later, of course, but I was still always considered tall… that is until I moved to the Netherlands. Suddenly, I am completely average. And I have to say, it feels AWESOME not standing out anymore! 😉
My parents both emigrated from Holland to the US. My mom is a shorty at 5′ 4″ and my dad is 5′ 8″. I am the last of six and the tallest girl at 5’11”, only one sibling is short. We grew up on a dairy farm and drank so much milk all the time think that helped for sure.
While dairy products are essential for bone development (calcium),I don’t quite agree with the consensus that milk etc. is responsible for the dutch being the tallest people on earth.
This average heights started to increase rapidly from 1980,which leads me to suspect it is the water.
Many chemicals including drugs and steroids cannot be completely removed from the water-in fact everything ends up in the water table.
The Netherlands of course is where all water from the huge Rhine basin ends up and goes out to sea-but not ALL the water! Some 15% goes into the Zuiderzee,as well as other large resevoirs including Zeeland due to the construction in the 60-70,s of the delta works.
This happens to be a huge problem for Holland-due to the huge catchment area of the Rhine from many countries and big population burden.
It is happening all over the world albeit in much smaller more subtle ways.
I dont think its a good news… for people not so tall how can they relates to this giant people? they would tend to underestimate people not so tall…
its a bad side.
Seeing all these comments about height makes me feel sorry for my boyfriend. He’s Dutch+German, 180 cm tall, the shortest among his friends :’) On the other hand, its a nice change for me to have ladies taller than me (173cm). Women in asia are known for their shortness :p (no offense, anyone!)
Well im 17.5 years old and im 183,5 cm and i feel freaking tall eveywhere i go.
Ohh very cool to know! I will put this fact on my list of “reasons to visit the Netherlands” ;D
I’m 5’9” girl from Brazil and I’ve always been taller than my friends since school, even than the boys! Currently at work, there’s only one girl taller than me and many other guys shorter than both of us hahah
Even at 203 cm I was still about 10 cm shorter than the kid across the street – Vikings are generally taller than average peoples.
Are there many Dutch kids are over 200 cm nowadays?
im dutch and around 185-189 dont really care its just unhealthy what happens here. it is not because of genes its because of unhealthy hormones in food, they need to fix that.
A girl at 173cm would be considered too short in the Netherlands?
Guys im 1.68. 5 foot 6 inches tall and maybe 5’5 on a bad day, oh and im 19. Would even an average 15 year old native dutch girl be taller than me?
No just average, most women i’ve dated/been with were under 1.60 m.
What do you mean not just average?
6ft 4,4 inches (1.94m) and 248 lbs. (112.5kg) i,m a big guy, even by dutch standards, but i’ve got friends that are even bigger. Good thing i like my women short, and most women seem to like big guys;)
Any Dutch friends can talk about new generation’ height? I have friends from the Netherlands told that every Dutch school has many 2 meters guys( of course, 2 meter are still tall even in Netherlands) . But a boy is 200 cm or taller is not uncommon at Dutch high schools. and 190 cm+ is common height. Those comments from my Dutch friends. So, is there any Dutch can talk about that.
I live in a south asian country standing at a tiny height of 166cm. Whenever i go to public gatherings i feel shorter than 85% of men and the crowd even has a couple of females taller than me. Gosh i just wonder how i would feel like in holland. Never mind the males cause i’d be a dwarf compared to them but im worried most females will also tower over me 😛