Average Height
Average Height in South Africa
Men: 166.7 cm·Women: 158.0 cm
Men · 1996
166.7 cm
Women · 1996
158.0 cm
Men · 1896 baseline
165.3 cm
Women · 1896 baseline
154.9 cm
Men world rank:#149Women world rank:#116
Height trend across birth cohorts
Insights
Between 1896 and 1996, the mean adult male height in South Africa rose from 165.3 cm to 166.7 cm — a gain of 1.4 cm over 100 years.
- The 8.7 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 | 165.3 | 154.9 | 10.4 |
| 1897 | 165.3 | 155.0 | 10.3 |
| 1898 | 165.4 | 155.1 | 10.3 |
| 1899 | 165.4 | 155.2 | 10.2 |
| 1900 | 165.5 | 155.3 | 10.2 |
| 1901 | 165.5 | 155.4 | 10.1 |
| 1902 | 165.6 | 155.4 | 10.2 |
| 1903 | 165.6 | 155.5 | 10.1 |
| 1904 | 165.7 | 155.6 | 10.1 |
| 1905 | 165.7 | 155.7 | 10.0 |
| 1906 | 165.8 | 155.8 | 10.0 |
| 1907 | 165.9 | 155.9 | 10.0 |
| 1908 | 165.9 | 155.9 | 10.0 |
| 1909 | 166.0 | 156.0 | 10.0 |
| 1910 | 166.0 | 156.1 | 9.9 |
| 1911 | 166.1 | 156.2 | 9.9 |
| 1912 | 166.1 | 156.3 | 9.8 |
| 1913 | 166.2 | 156.3 | 9.9 |
| 1914 | 166.3 | 156.4 | 9.9 |
| 1915 | 166.3 | 156.5 | 9.8 |
| 1916 | 166.4 | 156.6 | 9.8 |
| 1917 | 166.4 | 156.7 | 9.7 |
| 1918 | 166.5 | 156.8 | 9.7 |
| 1919 | 166.6 | 156.8 | 9.8 |
| 1920 | 166.6 | 156.9 | 9.7 |
| 1921 | 166.7 | 157.0 | 9.7 |
| 1922 | 166.7 | 157.1 | 9.6 |
| 1923 | 166.8 | 157.2 | 9.6 |
| 1924 | 166.8 | 157.2 | 9.6 |
| 1925 | 166.9 | 157.3 | 9.6 |
| 1926 | 166.9 | 157.4 | 9.5 |
| 1927 | 166.9 | 157.4 | 9.5 |
| 1928 | 167.0 | 157.5 | 9.5 |
| 1929 | 167.1 | 157.6 | 9.5 |
| 1930 | 167.1 | 157.7 | 9.4 |
| 1931 | 167.2 | 157.7 | 9.5 |
| 1932 | 167.2 | 157.8 | 9.4 |
| 1933 | 167.3 | 157.9 | 9.4 |
| 1934 | 167.4 | 157.9 | 9.5 |
| 1935 | 167.4 | 158.0 | 9.4 |
| 1936 | 167.5 | 158.1 | 9.4 |
| 1937 | 167.5 | 158.2 | 9.3 |
| 1938 | 167.6 | 158.2 | 9.4 |
| 1939 | 167.7 | 158.3 | 9.4 |
| 1940 | 167.7 | 158.4 | 9.3 |
| 1941 | 167.8 | 158.4 | 9.4 |
| 1942 | 167.9 | 158.5 | 9.4 |
| 1943 | 167.9 | 158.6 | 9.3 |
| 1944 | 168.0 | 158.6 | 9.4 |
| 1945 | 168.1 | 158.7 | 9.4 |
| 1946 | 168.1 | 158.8 | 9.3 |
| 1947 | 168.2 | 158.8 | 9.4 |
| 1948 | 168.3 | 158.9 | 9.4 |
| 1949 | 168.4 | 159.0 | 9.4 |
| 1950 | 168.4 | 159.0 | 9.4 |
| 1951 | 168.5 | 159.1 | 9.4 |
| 1952 | 168.6 | 159.1 | 9.5 |
| 1953 | 168.7 | 159.2 | 9.5 |
| 1954 | 168.7 | 159.2 | 9.5 |
| 1955 | 168.8 | 159.3 | 9.5 |
| 1956 | 168.9 | 159.3 | 9.6 |
| 1957 | 169.0 | 159.3 | 9.7 |
| 1958 | 169.0 | 159.4 | 9.6 |
| 1959 | 169.1 | 159.4 | 9.7 |
| 1960 | 169.2 | 159.4 | 9.8 |
| 1961 | 169.2 | 159.5 | 9.7 |
| 1962 | 169.3 | 159.5 | 9.8 |
| 1963 | 169.3 | 159.5 | 9.8 |
| 1964 | 169.4 | 159.5 | 9.9 |
| 1965 | 169.4 | 159.6 | 9.8 |
| 1966 | 169.4 | 159.6 | 9.8 |
| 1967 | 169.4 | 159.6 | 9.8 |
| 1968 | 169.4 | 159.6 | 9.8 |
| 1969 | 169.4 | 159.6 | 9.8 |
| 1970 | 169.4 | 159.6 | 9.8 |
| 1971 | 169.4 | 159.6 | 9.8 |
| 1972 | 169.4 | 159.6 | 9.8 |
| 1973 | 169.4 | 159.5 | 9.9 |
| 1974 | 169.3 | 159.5 | 9.8 |
| 1975 | 169.3 | 159.5 | 9.8 |
| 1976 | 169.3 | 159.4 | 9.9 |
| 1977 | 169.3 | 159.4 | 9.9 |
| 1978 | 169.2 | 159.3 | 9.9 |
| 1979 | 169.2 | 159.3 | 9.9 |
| 1980 | 169.1 | 159.2 | 9.9 |
| 1981 | 169.0 | 159.1 | 9.9 |
| 1982 | 168.9 | 159.1 | 9.8 |
| 1983 | 168.8 | 159.0 | 9.8 |
| 1984 | 168.7 | 158.9 | 9.8 |
| 1985 | 168.6 | 158.9 | 9.7 |
| 1986 | 168.4 | 158.8 | 9.6 |
| 1987 | 168.3 | 158.7 | 9.6 |
| 1988 | 168.1 | 158.6 | 9.5 |
| 1989 | 167.9 | 158.6 | 9.3 |
| 1990 | 167.8 | 158.5 | 9.3 |
| 1991 | 167.6 | 158.4 | 9.2 |
| 1992 | 167.4 | 158.3 | 9.1 |
| 1993 | 167.2 | 158.3 | 8.9 |
| 1994 | 167.0 | 158.2 | 8.8 |
| 1995 | 166.9 | 158.1 | 8.8 |
| 1996 | 166.7 | 158.0 | 8.7 |
Explore by sex and age
Notable people from South Africa with known heights
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.