Average Height
Average Height in Madagascar
Men: 161.5 cm·Women: 151.2 cm
Men · 1996
161.5 cm
Women · 1996
151.2 cm
Men · 1896 baseline
158.7 cm
Women · 1896 baseline
149.7 cm
Men world rank:#188Women world rank:#186
Height trend across birth cohorts
Insights
Between 1896 and 1996, the mean adult male height in Madagascar rose from 158.7 cm to 161.5 cm — a gain of 2.8 cm over 100 years.
- Men in Madagascar were among the ten shortest populations in the 1996 birth cohort.
- Women in Madagascar were among the ten shortest populations in the 1996 birth cohort.
- Height gains have plateaued since 1976.
- Mean height has declined in recent birth cohorts.
All cohorts, 1896–1996
| Cohort | Men (cm) | Women (cm) | Gap (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1896 | 158.7 | 149.7 | 9.0 |
| 1897 | 158.8 | 149.8 | 9.0 |
| 1898 | 158.9 | 149.9 | 9.0 |
| 1899 | 159.0 | 150.0 | 9.0 |
| 1900 | 159.2 | 150.1 | 9.1 |
| 1901 | 159.3 | 150.3 | 9.0 |
| 1902 | 159.4 | 150.4 | 9.0 |
| 1903 | 159.5 | 150.5 | 9.0 |
| 1904 | 159.6 | 150.6 | 9.0 |
| 1905 | 159.7 | 150.7 | 9.0 |
| 1906 | 159.9 | 150.8 | 9.1 |
| 1907 | 160.0 | 150.9 | 9.1 |
| 1908 | 160.1 | 151.1 | 9.0 |
| 1909 | 160.2 | 151.2 | 9.0 |
| 1910 | 160.3 | 151.3 | 9.0 |
| 1911 | 160.5 | 151.4 | 9.1 |
| 1912 | 160.6 | 151.5 | 9.1 |
| 1913 | 160.7 | 151.6 | 9.1 |
| 1914 | 160.8 | 151.7 | 9.1 |
| 1915 | 161.0 | 151.8 | 9.2 |
| 1916 | 161.1 | 151.9 | 9.2 |
| 1917 | 161.2 | 152.0 | 9.2 |
| 1918 | 161.4 | 152.1 | 9.3 |
| 1919 | 161.5 | 152.3 | 9.2 |
| 1920 | 161.6 | 152.4 | 9.2 |
| 1921 | 161.8 | 152.5 | 9.3 |
| 1922 | 161.9 | 152.6 | 9.3 |
| 1923 | 162.0 | 152.7 | 9.3 |
| 1924 | 162.1 | 152.8 | 9.3 |
| 1925 | 162.3 | 152.9 | 9.4 |
| 1926 | 162.4 | 153.0 | 9.4 |
| 1927 | 162.5 | 153.1 | 9.4 |
| 1928 | 162.6 | 153.2 | 9.4 |
| 1929 | 162.8 | 153.3 | 9.5 |
| 1930 | 162.9 | 153.4 | 9.5 |
| 1931 | 163.1 | 153.5 | 9.6 |
| 1932 | 163.2 | 153.6 | 9.6 |
| 1933 | 163.3 | 153.7 | 9.6 |
| 1934 | 163.5 | 153.8 | 9.7 |
| 1935 | 163.6 | 153.9 | 9.7 |
| 1936 | 163.7 | 154.0 | 9.7 |
| 1937 | 163.9 | 154.1 | 9.8 |
| 1938 | 164.0 | 154.2 | 9.8 |
| 1939 | 164.1 | 154.3 | 9.8 |
| 1940 | 164.2 | 154.4 | 9.8 |
| 1941 | 164.3 | 154.5 | 9.8 |
| 1942 | 164.5 | 154.5 | 10.0 |
| 1943 | 164.6 | 154.6 | 10.0 |
| 1944 | 164.7 | 154.7 | 10.0 |
| 1945 | 164.8 | 154.8 | 10.0 |
| 1946 | 164.9 | 154.9 | 10.0 |
| 1947 | 165.0 | 154.9 | 10.1 |
| 1948 | 165.1 | 155.0 | 10.1 |
| 1949 | 165.1 | 155.1 | 10.0 |
| 1950 | 165.2 | 155.1 | 10.1 |
| 1951 | 165.3 | 155.2 | 10.1 |
| 1952 | 165.4 | 155.2 | 10.2 |
| 1953 | 165.4 | 155.3 | 10.1 |
| 1954 | 165.5 | 155.3 | 10.2 |
| 1955 | 165.5 | 155.3 | 10.2 |
| 1956 | 165.5 | 155.4 | 10.1 |
| 1957 | 165.6 | 155.4 | 10.2 |
| 1958 | 165.6 | 155.4 | 10.2 |
| 1959 | 165.6 | 155.4 | 10.2 |
| 1960 | 165.6 | 155.3 | 10.3 |
| 1961 | 165.6 | 155.3 | 10.3 |
| 1962 | 165.6 | 155.3 | 10.3 |
| 1963 | 165.6 | 155.2 | 10.4 |
| 1964 | 165.6 | 155.2 | 10.4 |
| 1965 | 165.6 | 155.1 | 10.5 |
| 1966 | 165.5 | 155.0 | 10.5 |
| 1967 | 165.5 | 154.9 | 10.6 |
| 1968 | 165.4 | 154.8 | 10.6 |
| 1969 | 165.3 | 154.7 | 10.6 |
| 1970 | 165.3 | 154.6 | 10.7 |
| 1971 | 165.2 | 154.5 | 10.7 |
| 1972 | 165.1 | 154.4 | 10.7 |
| 1973 | 165.1 | 154.2 | 10.9 |
| 1974 | 165.0 | 154.1 | 10.9 |
| 1975 | 164.9 | 154.0 | 10.9 |
| 1976 | 164.9 | 153.8 | 11.1 |
| 1977 | 164.8 | 153.7 | 11.1 |
| 1978 | 164.7 | 153.6 | 11.1 |
| 1979 | 164.6 | 153.4 | 11.2 |
| 1980 | 164.5 | 153.3 | 11.2 |
| 1981 | 164.4 | 153.1 | 11.3 |
| 1982 | 164.3 | 153.0 | 11.3 |
| 1983 | 164.1 | 152.8 | 11.3 |
| 1984 | 164.0 | 152.7 | 11.3 |
| 1985 | 163.8 | 152.6 | 11.2 |
| 1986 | 163.6 | 152.5 | 11.1 |
| 1987 | 163.4 | 152.3 | 11.1 |
| 1988 | 163.2 | 152.2 | 11.0 |
| 1989 | 163.0 | 152.1 | 10.9 |
| 1990 | 162.8 | 151.9 | 10.9 |
| 1991 | 162.6 | 151.8 | 10.8 |
| 1992 | 162.4 | 151.7 | 10.7 |
| 1993 | 162.2 | 151.6 | 10.6 |
| 1994 | 162.0 | 151.4 | 10.6 |
| 1995 | 161.8 | 151.3 | 10.5 |
| 1996 | 161.5 | 151.2 | 10.3 |
Explore by sex and age
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.