Average Height
Average Height in South Korea
Men: 174.9 cm·Women: 162.3 cm
Men · 1996
174.9 cm
Women · 1996
162.3 cm
Men · 1896 baseline
159.8 cm
Women · 1896 baseline
142.2 cm
Men world rank:#48Women world rank:#52
Height trend across birth cohorts
Insights
Between 1896 and 1996, the mean adult male height in South Korea rose from 159.8 cm to 174.9 cm — a gain of 15.1 cm over 100 years.
All cohorts, 1896–1996
| Cohort | Men (cm) | Women (cm) | Gap (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1896 | 159.8 | 142.2 | 17.6 |
| 1897 | 159.9 | 142.4 | 17.5 |
| 1898 | 160.0 | 142.7 | 17.3 |
| 1899 | 160.2 | 143.0 | 17.2 |
| 1900 | 160.3 | 143.2 | 17.1 |
| 1901 | 160.4 | 143.5 | 16.9 |
| 1902 | 160.6 | 143.7 | 16.9 |
| 1903 | 160.7 | 144.0 | 16.7 |
| 1904 | 160.8 | 144.2 | 16.6 |
| 1905 | 161.0 | 144.5 | 16.5 |
| 1906 | 161.1 | 144.7 | 16.4 |
| 1907 | 161.2 | 145.0 | 16.2 |
| 1908 | 161.4 | 145.2 | 16.2 |
| 1909 | 161.5 | 145.5 | 16.0 |
| 1910 | 161.6 | 145.7 | 15.9 |
| 1911 | 161.8 | 146.0 | 15.8 |
| 1912 | 161.9 | 146.2 | 15.7 |
| 1913 | 162.1 | 146.5 | 15.6 |
| 1914 | 162.2 | 146.7 | 15.5 |
| 1915 | 162.3 | 147.0 | 15.3 |
| 1916 | 162.5 | 147.2 | 15.3 |
| 1917 | 162.6 | 147.5 | 15.1 |
| 1918 | 162.8 | 147.8 | 15.0 |
| 1919 | 163.0 | 148.0 | 15.0 |
| 1920 | 163.1 | 148.3 | 14.8 |
| 1921 | 163.3 | 148.6 | 14.7 |
| 1922 | 163.4 | 148.8 | 14.6 |
| 1923 | 163.6 | 149.1 | 14.5 |
| 1924 | 163.7 | 149.4 | 14.3 |
| 1925 | 163.9 | 149.6 | 14.3 |
| 1926 | 164.1 | 149.9 | 14.2 |
| 1927 | 164.2 | 150.2 | 14.0 |
| 1928 | 164.4 | 150.5 | 13.9 |
| 1929 | 164.6 | 150.8 | 13.8 |
| 1930 | 164.8 | 151.1 | 13.7 |
| 1931 | 164.9 | 151.4 | 13.5 |
| 1932 | 165.1 | 151.7 | 13.4 |
| 1933 | 165.3 | 151.9 | 13.4 |
| 1934 | 165.5 | 152.2 | 13.3 |
| 1935 | 165.6 | 152.5 | 13.1 |
| 1936 | 165.8 | 152.8 | 13.0 |
| 1937 | 166.0 | 153.1 | 12.9 |
| 1938 | 166.1 | 153.4 | 12.7 |
| 1939 | 166.3 | 153.6 | 12.7 |
| 1940 | 166.5 | 153.9 | 12.6 |
| 1941 | 166.6 | 154.2 | 12.4 |
| 1942 | 166.8 | 154.4 | 12.4 |
| 1943 | 167.0 | 154.7 | 12.3 |
| 1944 | 167.2 | 154.9 | 12.3 |
| 1945 | 167.3 | 155.1 | 12.2 |
| 1946 | 167.5 | 155.4 | 12.1 |
| 1947 | 167.7 | 155.6 | 12.1 |
| 1948 | 167.9 | 155.8 | 12.1 |
| 1949 | 168.1 | 156.0 | 12.1 |
| 1950 | 168.3 | 156.2 | 12.1 |
| 1951 | 168.5 | 156.4 | 12.1 |
| 1952 | 168.6 | 156.6 | 12.0 |
| 1953 | 168.8 | 156.8 | 12.0 |
| 1954 | 169.0 | 157.0 | 12.0 |
| 1955 | 169.2 | 157.2 | 12.0 |
| 1956 | 169.4 | 157.4 | 12.0 |
| 1957 | 169.6 | 157.5 | 12.1 |
| 1958 | 169.8 | 157.7 | 12.1 |
| 1959 | 170.0 | 157.9 | 12.1 |
| 1960 | 170.3 | 158.1 | 12.2 |
| 1961 | 170.5 | 158.2 | 12.3 |
| 1962 | 170.7 | 158.4 | 12.3 |
| 1963 | 170.9 | 158.6 | 12.3 |
| 1964 | 171.1 | 158.8 | 12.3 |
| 1965 | 171.3 | 158.9 | 12.4 |
| 1966 | 171.5 | 159.1 | 12.4 |
| 1967 | 171.7 | 159.3 | 12.4 |
| 1968 | 171.9 | 159.4 | 12.5 |
| 1969 | 172.1 | 159.6 | 12.5 |
| 1970 | 172.3 | 159.7 | 12.6 |
| 1971 | 172.4 | 159.9 | 12.5 |
| 1972 | 172.6 | 160.0 | 12.6 |
| 1973 | 172.8 | 160.1 | 12.7 |
| 1974 | 173.0 | 160.2 | 12.8 |
| 1975 | 173.1 | 160.4 | 12.7 |
| 1976 | 173.3 | 160.5 | 12.8 |
| 1977 | 173.4 | 160.6 | 12.8 |
| 1978 | 173.6 | 160.7 | 12.9 |
| 1979 | 173.7 | 160.8 | 12.9 |
| 1980 | 173.8 | 160.9 | 12.9 |
| 1981 | 174.0 | 161.0 | 13.0 |
| 1982 | 174.1 | 161.1 | 13.0 |
| 1983 | 174.2 | 161.2 | 13.0 |
| 1984 | 174.2 | 161.3 | 12.9 |
| 1985 | 174.3 | 161.4 | 12.9 |
| 1986 | 174.4 | 161.5 | 12.9 |
| 1987 | 174.5 | 161.6 | 12.9 |
| 1988 | 174.5 | 161.7 | 12.8 |
| 1989 | 174.6 | 161.8 | 12.8 |
| 1990 | 174.6 | 161.8 | 12.8 |
| 1991 | 174.7 | 161.9 | 12.8 |
| 1992 | 174.7 | 162.0 | 12.7 |
| 1993 | 174.8 | 162.1 | 12.7 |
| 1994 | 174.8 | 162.2 | 12.6 |
| 1995 | 174.9 | 162.3 | 12.6 |
| 1996 | 174.9 | 162.3 | 12.6 |
Explore by sex and age
Notable people from South Korea with known heights
Jennie
163 cm · 5'4"
b. 1996
Jisoo
162 cm · 5'4"
b. 1995
Jungkook
178 cm · 5'10"
b. 1997
Park Ji-Sung
173 cm · 5'8"
b. 1981
Son Heung-min
183 cm · 6'0"
b. 1992
V
179 cm · 5'10"
b. 1995
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.