Average Height
Average Height in India
Men: 164.9 cm·Women: 152.6 cm
Men · 1996
164.9 cm
Women · 1996
152.6 cm
Men · 1896 baseline
162.0 cm
Women · 1896 baseline
148.0 cm
Men world rank:#169Women world rank:#183
Height trend across birth cohorts
Insights
Between 1896 and 1996, the mean adult male height in India rose from 162.0 cm to 164.9 cm — a gain of 2.9 cm over 100 years.
- Women in India were among the ten shortest populations in the 1996 birth cohort.
- Height gains have plateaued since 1976.
All cohorts, 1896–1996
| Cohort | Men (cm) | Women (cm) | Gap (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1896 | 162.0 | 148.0 | 14.0 |
| 1897 | 162.0 | 148.0 | 14.0 |
| 1898 | 162.0 | 148.1 | 13.9 |
| 1899 | 162.0 | 148.1 | 13.9 |
| 1900 | 162.0 | 148.2 | 13.8 |
| 1901 | 161.9 | 148.2 | 13.7 |
| 1902 | 161.9 | 148.3 | 13.6 |
| 1903 | 161.9 | 148.4 | 13.5 |
| 1904 | 161.9 | 148.4 | 13.5 |
| 1905 | 161.9 | 148.5 | 13.4 |
| 1906 | 161.9 | 148.5 | 13.4 |
| 1907 | 161.9 | 148.6 | 13.3 |
| 1908 | 161.9 | 148.6 | 13.3 |
| 1909 | 161.9 | 148.7 | 13.2 |
| 1910 | 161.9 | 148.7 | 13.2 |
| 1911 | 162.0 | 148.8 | 13.2 |
| 1912 | 162.0 | 148.8 | 13.2 |
| 1913 | 162.0 | 148.9 | 13.1 |
| 1914 | 162.0 | 148.9 | 13.1 |
| 1915 | 162.0 | 149.0 | 13.0 |
| 1916 | 162.0 | 149.1 | 12.9 |
| 1917 | 162.1 | 149.1 | 13.0 |
| 1918 | 162.1 | 149.2 | 12.9 |
| 1919 | 162.1 | 149.3 | 12.8 |
| 1920 | 162.2 | 149.3 | 12.9 |
| 1921 | 162.2 | 149.4 | 12.8 |
| 1922 | 162.2 | 149.4 | 12.8 |
| 1923 | 162.2 | 149.5 | 12.7 |
| 1924 | 162.3 | 149.6 | 12.7 |
| 1925 | 162.3 | 149.6 | 12.7 |
| 1926 | 162.3 | 149.7 | 12.6 |
| 1927 | 162.4 | 149.7 | 12.7 |
| 1928 | 162.4 | 149.8 | 12.6 |
| 1929 | 162.5 | 149.9 | 12.6 |
| 1930 | 162.5 | 150.0 | 12.5 |
| 1931 | 162.6 | 150.0 | 12.6 |
| 1932 | 162.6 | 150.1 | 12.5 |
| 1933 | 162.7 | 150.2 | 12.5 |
| 1934 | 162.7 | 150.3 | 12.4 |
| 1935 | 162.8 | 150.4 | 12.4 |
| 1936 | 162.8 | 150.4 | 12.4 |
| 1937 | 162.9 | 150.5 | 12.4 |
| 1938 | 162.9 | 150.6 | 12.3 |
| 1939 | 163.0 | 150.7 | 12.3 |
| 1940 | 163.0 | 150.8 | 12.2 |
| 1941 | 163.0 | 150.9 | 12.1 |
| 1942 | 163.1 | 151.0 | 12.1 |
| 1943 | 163.1 | 151.1 | 12.0 |
| 1944 | 163.2 | 151.1 | 12.1 |
| 1945 | 163.2 | 151.2 | 12.0 |
| 1946 | 163.3 | 151.3 | 12.0 |
| 1947 | 163.4 | 151.4 | 12.0 |
| 1948 | 163.4 | 151.5 | 11.9 |
| 1949 | 163.5 | 151.5 | 12.0 |
| 1950 | 163.5 | 151.6 | 11.9 |
| 1951 | 163.6 | 151.7 | 11.9 |
| 1952 | 163.7 | 151.8 | 11.9 |
| 1953 | 163.7 | 151.9 | 11.8 |
| 1954 | 163.8 | 151.9 | 11.9 |
| 1955 | 163.8 | 152.0 | 11.8 |
| 1956 | 163.9 | 152.1 | 11.8 |
| 1957 | 163.9 | 152.1 | 11.8 |
| 1958 | 164.0 | 152.2 | 11.8 |
| 1959 | 164.0 | 152.2 | 11.8 |
| 1960 | 164.1 | 152.3 | 11.8 |
| 1961 | 164.2 | 152.3 | 11.9 |
| 1962 | 164.2 | 152.4 | 11.8 |
| 1963 | 164.3 | 152.4 | 11.9 |
| 1964 | 164.4 | 152.4 | 12.0 |
| 1965 | 164.4 | 152.5 | 11.9 |
| 1966 | 164.5 | 152.5 | 12.0 |
| 1967 | 164.6 | 152.5 | 12.1 |
| 1968 | 164.6 | 152.5 | 12.1 |
| 1969 | 164.7 | 152.5 | 12.2 |
| 1970 | 164.7 | 152.5 | 12.2 |
| 1971 | 164.8 | 152.5 | 12.3 |
| 1972 | 164.8 | 152.5 | 12.3 |
| 1973 | 164.9 | 152.5 | 12.4 |
| 1974 | 164.9 | 152.5 | 12.4 |
| 1975 | 165.0 | 152.4 | 12.6 |
| 1976 | 165.0 | 152.4 | 12.6 |
| 1977 | 165.0 | 152.4 | 12.6 |
| 1978 | 165.1 | 152.4 | 12.7 |
| 1979 | 165.1 | 152.4 | 12.7 |
| 1980 | 165.1 | 152.4 | 12.7 |
| 1981 | 165.1 | 152.4 | 12.7 |
| 1982 | 165.1 | 152.4 | 12.7 |
| 1983 | 165.1 | 152.4 | 12.7 |
| 1984 | 165.1 | 152.4 | 12.7 |
| 1985 | 165.1 | 152.4 | 12.7 |
| 1986 | 165.1 | 152.4 | 12.7 |
| 1987 | 165.1 | 152.4 | 12.7 |
| 1988 | 165.1 | 152.4 | 12.7 |
| 1989 | 165.1 | 152.5 | 12.6 |
| 1990 | 165.0 | 152.5 | 12.5 |
| 1991 | 165.0 | 152.5 | 12.5 |
| 1992 | 165.0 | 152.5 | 12.5 |
| 1993 | 165.0 | 152.5 | 12.5 |
| 1994 | 165.0 | 152.5 | 12.5 |
| 1995 | 165.0 | 152.6 | 12.4 |
| 1996 | 164.9 | 152.6 | 12.3 |
Explore by sex and age
Notable people from India with known heights
B. R. Ambedkar
178 cm · 5'10"
b. 1891
Amitabh Bachchan
188 cm · 6'2"
b. 1942
Narendra Modi
178 cm · 5'10"
b. 1950
Sachin Tendulkar
170 cm · 5'7"
b. 1973
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
167 cm · 5'6"
b. 1973
Anushka Sharma
173 cm · 5'8"
b. 1988
Bipasha Basu
173 cm · 5'8"
b. 1979
Deepika Padukone
175 cm · 5'9"
b. 1986
Freida Pinto
166 cm · 5'5"
b. 1984
Kareena Kapoor Khan
165 cm · 5'5"
b. 1980
Lara Dutta
173 cm · 5'8"
b. 1978
Preity Zinta
159 cm · 5'3"
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.