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Average Height

Average Height of a Woman in Switzerland

163.5 cmb. 1996 cohort

Female height trend, 1896–1996

Mean adult height trendMean adult height in Switzerland by birth cohort, 1896–1996, in centimetres.155160165190019201940196019801996Birth YearHeight (cm)163.5 cmFemale

Insights

Between 1896 and 1996, the mean adult male height in Switzerland rose from 167.5 cm to 178.4 cm — a gain of 10.9 cm over 100 years.

  • The 14.9 cm gap between men and women is above the typical range.
  • Height gains have plateaued since 1976.

All cohorts, 1896–1996

CohortWomen (cm)
1896157.5
1897157.6
1898157.7
1899157.8
1900157.9
1901158.0
1902158.1
1903158.2
1904158.3
1905158.4
1906158.5
1907158.6
1908158.7
1909158.8
1910158.9
1911159.0
1912159.1
1913159.2
1914159.3
1915159.4
1916159.5
1917159.6
1918159.8
1919159.9
1920160.0
1921160.1
1922160.2
1923160.3
1924160.4
1925160.5
1926160.6
1927160.7
1928160.8
1929160.9
1930161.0
1931161.1
1932161.2
1933161.3
1934161.4
1935161.6
1936161.7
1937161.8
1938161.9
1939162.0
1940162.1
1941162.2
1942162.3
1943162.4
1944162.4
1945162.5
1946162.5
1947162.6
1948162.7
1949162.7
1950162.8
1951162.9
1952163.0
1953163.1
1954163.2
1955163.2
1956163.3
1957163.4
1958163.6
1959163.7
1960163.8
1961163.9
1962164.0
1963164.1
1964164.1
1965164.2
1966164.3
1967164.3
1968164.3
1969164.4
1970164.4
1971164.4
1972164.4
1973164.4
1974164.4
1975164.4
1976164.3
1977164.3
1978164.3
1979164.2
1980164.2
1981164.1
1982164.1
1983164.0
1984164.0
1985163.9
1986163.9
1987163.9
1988163.8
1989163.8
1990163.7
1991163.7
1992163.6
1993163.6
1994163.5
1995163.5
1996163.5

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.