Average Height
Average Height in Nigeria
Men: 165.9 cm·Women: 156.3 cm
Men · 1996
165.9 cm
Women · 1996
156.3 cm
Men · 1896 baseline
161.0 cm
Women · 1896 baseline
153.1 cm
Men world rank:#160Women world rank:#142
Height trend across birth cohorts
Insights
Between 1896 and 1996, the mean adult male height in Nigeria rose from 161.0 cm to 165.9 cm — a gain of 4.9 cm over 100 years.
- The 9.6 cm gap between men and women is below the typical range.
- 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 | 161.0 | 153.1 | 7.9 |
| 1897 | 161.1 | 153.2 | 7.9 |
| 1898 | 161.2 | 153.3 | 7.9 |
| 1899 | 161.3 | 153.4 | 7.9 |
| 1900 | 161.4 | 153.4 | 8.0 |
| 1901 | 161.5 | 153.5 | 8.0 |
| 1902 | 161.5 | 153.6 | 7.9 |
| 1903 | 161.6 | 153.7 | 7.9 |
| 1904 | 161.7 | 153.8 | 7.9 |
| 1905 | 161.8 | 153.8 | 8.0 |
| 1906 | 161.9 | 153.9 | 8.0 |
| 1907 | 162.0 | 154.0 | 8.0 |
| 1908 | 162.1 | 154.1 | 8.0 |
| 1909 | 162.2 | 154.1 | 8.1 |
| 1910 | 162.2 | 154.2 | 8.0 |
| 1911 | 162.3 | 154.3 | 8.0 |
| 1912 | 162.4 | 154.4 | 8.0 |
| 1913 | 162.5 | 154.4 | 8.1 |
| 1914 | 162.6 | 154.5 | 8.1 |
| 1915 | 162.7 | 154.6 | 8.1 |
| 1916 | 162.8 | 154.7 | 8.1 |
| 1917 | 162.9 | 154.7 | 8.2 |
| 1918 | 163.0 | 154.8 | 8.2 |
| 1919 | 163.1 | 154.9 | 8.2 |
| 1920 | 163.2 | 155.0 | 8.2 |
| 1921 | 163.3 | 155.1 | 8.2 |
| 1922 | 163.4 | 155.2 | 8.2 |
| 1923 | 163.5 | 155.2 | 8.3 |
| 1924 | 163.6 | 155.3 | 8.3 |
| 1925 | 163.8 | 155.4 | 8.4 |
| 1926 | 163.9 | 155.5 | 8.4 |
| 1927 | 164.0 | 155.6 | 8.4 |
| 1928 | 164.1 | 155.6 | 8.5 |
| 1929 | 164.2 | 155.7 | 8.5 |
| 1930 | 164.4 | 155.8 | 8.6 |
| 1931 | 164.5 | 155.9 | 8.6 |
| 1932 | 164.6 | 156.0 | 8.6 |
| 1933 | 164.8 | 156.1 | 8.7 |
| 1934 | 164.9 | 156.2 | 8.7 |
| 1935 | 165.1 | 156.3 | 8.8 |
| 1936 | 165.2 | 156.5 | 8.7 |
| 1937 | 165.3 | 156.6 | 8.7 |
| 1938 | 165.5 | 156.7 | 8.8 |
| 1939 | 165.6 | 156.8 | 8.8 |
| 1940 | 165.8 | 157.0 | 8.8 |
| 1941 | 165.9 | 157.1 | 8.8 |
| 1942 | 166.0 | 157.2 | 8.8 |
| 1943 | 166.2 | 157.4 | 8.8 |
| 1944 | 166.3 | 157.5 | 8.8 |
| 1945 | 166.4 | 157.7 | 8.7 |
| 1946 | 166.6 | 157.8 | 8.8 |
| 1947 | 166.7 | 157.9 | 8.8 |
| 1948 | 166.9 | 158.1 | 8.8 |
| 1949 | 167.0 | 158.2 | 8.8 |
| 1950 | 167.1 | 158.4 | 8.7 |
| 1951 | 167.3 | 158.5 | 8.8 |
| 1952 | 167.4 | 158.6 | 8.8 |
| 1953 | 167.5 | 158.7 | 8.8 |
| 1954 | 167.6 | 158.8 | 8.8 |
| 1955 | 167.7 | 158.9 | 8.8 |
| 1956 | 167.8 | 159.0 | 8.8 |
| 1957 | 167.9 | 159.1 | 8.8 |
| 1958 | 168.0 | 159.2 | 8.8 |
| 1959 | 168.1 | 159.2 | 8.9 |
| 1960 | 168.2 | 159.3 | 8.9 |
| 1961 | 168.2 | 159.3 | 8.9 |
| 1962 | 168.3 | 159.4 | 8.9 |
| 1963 | 168.3 | 159.4 | 8.9 |
| 1964 | 168.4 | 159.4 | 9.0 |
| 1965 | 168.4 | 159.4 | 9.0 |
| 1966 | 168.4 | 159.4 | 9.0 |
| 1967 | 168.5 | 159.4 | 9.1 |
| 1968 | 168.5 | 159.4 | 9.1 |
| 1969 | 168.5 | 159.4 | 9.1 |
| 1970 | 168.5 | 159.3 | 9.2 |
| 1971 | 168.5 | 159.3 | 9.2 |
| 1972 | 168.5 | 159.2 | 9.3 |
| 1973 | 168.5 | 159.1 | 9.4 |
| 1974 | 168.5 | 159.0 | 9.5 |
| 1975 | 168.5 | 158.9 | 9.6 |
| 1976 | 168.4 | 158.8 | 9.6 |
| 1977 | 168.4 | 158.7 | 9.7 |
| 1978 | 168.4 | 158.6 | 9.8 |
| 1979 | 168.3 | 158.5 | 9.8 |
| 1980 | 168.2 | 158.4 | 9.8 |
| 1981 | 168.2 | 158.2 | 10.0 |
| 1982 | 168.1 | 158.1 | 10.0 |
| 1983 | 168.0 | 158.0 | 10.0 |
| 1984 | 167.9 | 157.9 | 10.0 |
| 1985 | 167.7 | 157.7 | 10.0 |
| 1986 | 167.6 | 157.6 | 10.0 |
| 1987 | 167.5 | 157.5 | 10.0 |
| 1988 | 167.3 | 157.4 | 9.9 |
| 1989 | 167.1 | 157.2 | 9.9 |
| 1990 | 167.0 | 157.1 | 9.9 |
| 1991 | 166.8 | 157.0 | 9.8 |
| 1992 | 166.6 | 156.8 | 9.8 |
| 1993 | 166.4 | 156.7 | 9.7 |
| 1994 | 166.3 | 156.6 | 9.7 |
| 1995 | 166.1 | 156.5 | 9.6 |
| 1996 | 165.9 | 156.3 | 9.6 |
Explore by sex and age
Notable people from Nigeria with known heights
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
168 cm · 5'6"
b. 1977
Alex Iwobi
180 cm · 5'11"
b. 1996
Ahmed Musa
170 cm · 5'7"
b. 1992
Hakeem Olajuwon
213 cm · 7'0"
b. 1963
Jay-Jay Okocha
175 cm · 5'9"
b. 1973
Joseph Yobo
188 cm · 6'2"
b. 1980
Kelechi Iheanacho
185 cm · 6'1"
b. 1996
Mikel John Obi
188 cm · 6'2"
b. 1987
Nwankwo Kanu
197 cm · 6'6"
b. 1976
Obafemi Martins
170 cm · 5'7"
b. 1984
Peter Odemwingie
182 cm · 6'0"
b. 1981
Victor Moses
177 cm · 5'10"
b. 1990
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.