Average Height
Average Height in Iceland
Men: 180.5 cm·Women: 165.9 cm
Men · 1996
180.5 cm
Women · 1996
165.9 cm
Men · 1896 baseline
170.5 cm
Women · 1896 baseline
158.6 cm
Men world rank:#9Women world rank:#12
Height trend across birth cohorts
Insights
Between 1896 and 1996, the mean adult male height in Iceland rose from 170.5 cm to 180.5 cm — a gain of 10.0 cm over 100 years.
- Men in Iceland ranked 9th globally in the 1996 birth cohort.
- The 14.6 cm gap between men and women is above the typical range.
- Height gains have plateaued since 1976.
All cohorts, 1896–1996
| Cohort | Men (cm) | Women (cm) | Gap (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1896 | 170.5 | 158.6 | 11.9 |
| 1897 | 170.7 | 158.7 | 12.0 |
| 1898 | 170.9 | 158.9 | 12.0 |
| 1899 | 171.1 | 159.1 | 12.0 |
| 1900 | 171.3 | 159.3 | 12.0 |
| 1901 | 171.5 | 159.5 | 12.0 |
| 1902 | 171.7 | 159.6 | 12.1 |
| 1903 | 171.9 | 159.8 | 12.1 |
| 1904 | 172.1 | 160.0 | 12.1 |
| 1905 | 172.3 | 160.2 | 12.1 |
| 1906 | 172.5 | 160.4 | 12.1 |
| 1907 | 172.7 | 160.5 | 12.2 |
| 1908 | 172.9 | 160.7 | 12.2 |
| 1909 | 173.1 | 160.9 | 12.2 |
| 1910 | 173.3 | 161.1 | 12.2 |
| 1911 | 173.5 | 161.3 | 12.2 |
| 1912 | 173.7 | 161.4 | 12.3 |
| 1913 | 173.9 | 161.6 | 12.3 |
| 1914 | 174.2 | 161.8 | 12.4 |
| 1915 | 174.4 | 162.0 | 12.4 |
| 1916 | 174.6 | 162.2 | 12.4 |
| 1917 | 174.8 | 162.4 | 12.4 |
| 1918 | 175.1 | 162.7 | 12.4 |
| 1919 | 175.3 | 162.9 | 12.4 |
| 1920 | 175.5 | 163.1 | 12.4 |
| 1921 | 175.7 | 163.3 | 12.4 |
| 1922 | 175.9 | 163.4 | 12.5 |
| 1923 | 176.1 | 163.6 | 12.5 |
| 1924 | 176.3 | 163.8 | 12.5 |
| 1925 | 176.5 | 164.0 | 12.5 |
| 1926 | 176.6 | 164.2 | 12.4 |
| 1927 | 176.8 | 164.4 | 12.4 |
| 1928 | 177.0 | 164.5 | 12.5 |
| 1929 | 177.2 | 164.7 | 12.5 |
| 1930 | 177.4 | 164.9 | 12.5 |
| 1931 | 177.6 | 165.0 | 12.6 |
| 1932 | 177.8 | 165.2 | 12.6 |
| 1933 | 177.9 | 165.4 | 12.5 |
| 1934 | 178.1 | 165.5 | 12.6 |
| 1935 | 178.3 | 165.7 | 12.6 |
| 1936 | 178.5 | 165.8 | 12.7 |
| 1937 | 178.6 | 166.0 | 12.6 |
| 1938 | 178.8 | 166.1 | 12.7 |
| 1939 | 178.9 | 166.2 | 12.7 |
| 1940 | 179.0 | 166.4 | 12.6 |
| 1941 | 179.1 | 166.5 | 12.6 |
| 1942 | 179.2 | 166.5 | 12.7 |
| 1943 | 179.3 | 166.6 | 12.7 |
| 1944 | 179.4 | 166.7 | 12.7 |
| 1945 | 179.5 | 166.7 | 12.8 |
| 1946 | 179.6 | 166.8 | 12.8 |
| 1947 | 179.7 | 166.8 | 12.9 |
| 1948 | 179.8 | 166.9 | 12.9 |
| 1949 | 179.9 | 166.9 | 13.0 |
| 1950 | 180.0 | 167.0 | 13.0 |
| 1951 | 180.1 | 167.0 | 13.1 |
| 1952 | 180.2 | 167.1 | 13.1 |
| 1953 | 180.3 | 167.1 | 13.2 |
| 1954 | 180.4 | 167.2 | 13.2 |
| 1955 | 180.5 | 167.2 | 13.3 |
| 1956 | 180.6 | 167.3 | 13.3 |
| 1957 | 180.7 | 167.4 | 13.3 |
| 1958 | 180.8 | 167.4 | 13.4 |
| 1959 | 180.8 | 167.5 | 13.3 |
| 1960 | 180.9 | 167.6 | 13.3 |
| 1961 | 181.0 | 167.6 | 13.4 |
| 1962 | 181.1 | 167.7 | 13.4 |
| 1963 | 181.1 | 167.7 | 13.4 |
| 1964 | 181.2 | 167.8 | 13.4 |
| 1965 | 181.2 | 167.8 | 13.4 |
| 1966 | 181.2 | 167.8 | 13.4 |
| 1967 | 181.3 | 167.9 | 13.4 |
| 1968 | 181.3 | 167.9 | 13.4 |
| 1969 | 181.3 | 167.9 | 13.4 |
| 1970 | 181.3 | 167.8 | 13.5 |
| 1971 | 181.3 | 167.8 | 13.5 |
| 1972 | 181.4 | 167.8 | 13.6 |
| 1973 | 181.4 | 167.7 | 13.7 |
| 1974 | 181.4 | 167.7 | 13.7 |
| 1975 | 181.4 | 167.6 | 13.8 |
| 1976 | 181.3 | 167.6 | 13.7 |
| 1977 | 181.3 | 167.5 | 13.8 |
| 1978 | 181.3 | 167.4 | 13.9 |
| 1979 | 181.3 | 167.3 | 14.0 |
| 1980 | 181.2 | 167.2 | 14.0 |
| 1981 | 181.2 | 167.2 | 14.0 |
| 1982 | 181.2 | 167.1 | 14.1 |
| 1983 | 181.1 | 167.0 | 14.1 |
| 1984 | 181.1 | 166.9 | 14.2 |
| 1985 | 181.0 | 166.8 | 14.2 |
| 1986 | 181.0 | 166.8 | 14.2 |
| 1987 | 180.9 | 166.7 | 14.2 |
| 1988 | 180.9 | 166.6 | 14.3 |
| 1989 | 180.8 | 166.5 | 14.3 |
| 1990 | 180.8 | 166.4 | 14.4 |
| 1991 | 180.7 | 166.4 | 14.3 |
| 1992 | 180.7 | 166.3 | 14.4 |
| 1993 | 180.6 | 166.2 | 14.4 |
| 1994 | 180.6 | 166.1 | 14.5 |
| 1995 | 180.5 | 166.0 | 14.5 |
| 1996 | 180.5 | 165.9 | 14.6 |
Explore by sex and age
Notable people from Iceland with known heights
Björk
163 cm · 5'4"
b. 1965
Eiður Guðjohnsen
187 cm · 6'2"
b. 1978
Gylfi Sigurðsson
186 cm · 6'1"
b. 1989
Kolbeinn Sigþórsson
186 cm · 6'1"
b. 1990
Alfreð Finnbogason
184 cm · 6'0"
b. 1989
Hannes Þór Halldórsson
193 cm · 6'4"
b. 1984
Birkir Bjarnason
184 cm · 6'0"
b. 1988
Ragnar Sigurðsson
185 cm · 6'1"
b. 1986
Jón Daði Böðvarsson
190 cm · 6'3"
b. 1992
Birkir Már Sævarsson
187 cm · 6'2"
b. 1984
Stefán Karl Stefánsson
189 cm · 6'2"
b. 1975
Heights from Wikidata (property P2048). Shown for published persons sorted by priority score.
Sources & methodology
Mean adult height by birth cohort, ages 20+. Figures are modelled from pooled population-representative surveys and measurement studies compiled by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) and published via Our World in Data.
Cohorts are labelled by birth year, not by survey year. Reported heights reflect the adult height those cohorts reached, typically measured in their 20s or 30s.
License: CC BY 4.0. Last updated: 2026-04-21.