Average Height
Average Height in Zimbabwe
Men: 168.6 cm·Women: 158.2 cm
Men · 1996
168.6 cm
Women · 1996
158.2 cm
Men · 1896 baseline
164.8 cm
Women · 1896 baseline
155.3 cm
Men world rank:#120Women world rank:#110
Height trend across birth cohorts
Insights
Between 1896 and 1996, the mean adult male height in Zimbabwe rose from 164.8 cm to 168.6 cm — a gain of 3.8 cm over 100 years.
- 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 | 164.8 | 155.3 | 9.5 |
| 1897 | 164.9 | 155.4 | 9.5 |
| 1898 | 164.9 | 155.5 | 9.4 |
| 1899 | 165.0 | 155.6 | 9.4 |
| 1900 | 165.1 | 155.8 | 9.3 |
| 1901 | 165.2 | 155.9 | 9.3 |
| 1902 | 165.3 | 156.0 | 9.3 |
| 1903 | 165.4 | 156.1 | 9.3 |
| 1904 | 165.5 | 156.2 | 9.3 |
| 1905 | 165.5 | 156.3 | 9.2 |
| 1906 | 165.6 | 156.4 | 9.2 |
| 1907 | 165.7 | 156.6 | 9.1 |
| 1908 | 165.8 | 156.7 | 9.1 |
| 1909 | 165.9 | 156.8 | 9.1 |
| 1910 | 166.0 | 156.9 | 9.1 |
| 1911 | 166.0 | 157.0 | 9.0 |
| 1912 | 166.1 | 157.1 | 9.0 |
| 1913 | 166.2 | 157.2 | 9.0 |
| 1914 | 166.3 | 157.3 | 9.0 |
| 1915 | 166.4 | 157.4 | 9.0 |
| 1916 | 166.5 | 157.5 | 9.0 |
| 1917 | 166.6 | 157.6 | 9.0 |
| 1918 | 166.7 | 157.8 | 8.9 |
| 1919 | 166.8 | 157.9 | 8.9 |
| 1920 | 166.9 | 158.0 | 8.9 |
| 1921 | 167.0 | 158.1 | 8.9 |
| 1922 | 167.1 | 158.2 | 8.9 |
| 1923 | 167.2 | 158.3 | 8.9 |
| 1924 | 167.3 | 158.4 | 8.9 |
| 1925 | 167.3 | 158.5 | 8.8 |
| 1926 | 167.4 | 158.6 | 8.8 |
| 1927 | 167.5 | 158.7 | 8.8 |
| 1928 | 167.6 | 158.8 | 8.8 |
| 1929 | 167.7 | 158.9 | 8.8 |
| 1930 | 167.8 | 159.0 | 8.8 |
| 1931 | 167.9 | 159.1 | 8.8 |
| 1932 | 168.0 | 159.2 | 8.8 |
| 1933 | 168.2 | 159.3 | 8.9 |
| 1934 | 168.3 | 159.4 | 8.9 |
| 1935 | 168.4 | 159.5 | 8.9 |
| 1936 | 168.5 | 159.6 | 8.9 |
| 1937 | 168.6 | 159.7 | 8.9 |
| 1938 | 168.7 | 159.8 | 8.9 |
| 1939 | 168.8 | 159.9 | 8.9 |
| 1940 | 168.9 | 159.9 | 9.0 |
| 1941 | 169.0 | 160.0 | 9.0 |
| 1942 | 169.1 | 160.1 | 9.0 |
| 1943 | 169.2 | 160.2 | 9.0 |
| 1944 | 169.3 | 160.3 | 9.0 |
| 1945 | 169.4 | 160.3 | 9.1 |
| 1946 | 169.6 | 160.4 | 9.2 |
| 1947 | 169.7 | 160.5 | 9.2 |
| 1948 | 169.8 | 160.5 | 9.3 |
| 1949 | 169.9 | 160.6 | 9.3 |
| 1950 | 170.0 | 160.6 | 9.4 |
| 1951 | 170.1 | 160.7 | 9.4 |
| 1952 | 170.2 | 160.7 | 9.5 |
| 1953 | 170.3 | 160.8 | 9.5 |
| 1954 | 170.4 | 160.8 | 9.6 |
| 1955 | 170.5 | 160.8 | 9.7 |
| 1956 | 170.6 | 160.8 | 9.8 |
| 1957 | 170.7 | 160.8 | 9.9 |
| 1958 | 170.8 | 160.8 | 10.0 |
| 1959 | 170.9 | 160.8 | 10.1 |
| 1960 | 171.0 | 160.8 | 10.2 |
| 1961 | 171.1 | 160.8 | 10.3 |
| 1962 | 171.1 | 160.8 | 10.3 |
| 1963 | 171.2 | 160.8 | 10.4 |
| 1964 | 171.2 | 160.7 | 10.5 |
| 1965 | 171.3 | 160.7 | 10.6 |
| 1966 | 171.3 | 160.7 | 10.6 |
| 1967 | 171.3 | 160.6 | 10.7 |
| 1968 | 171.3 | 160.6 | 10.7 |
| 1969 | 171.4 | 160.5 | 10.9 |
| 1970 | 171.4 | 160.5 | 10.9 |
| 1971 | 171.4 | 160.4 | 11.0 |
| 1972 | 171.4 | 160.4 | 11.0 |
| 1973 | 171.4 | 160.3 | 11.1 |
| 1974 | 171.3 | 160.2 | 11.1 |
| 1975 | 171.3 | 160.1 | 11.2 |
| 1976 | 171.3 | 160.0 | 11.3 |
| 1977 | 171.3 | 160.0 | 11.3 |
| 1978 | 171.2 | 159.9 | 11.3 |
| 1979 | 171.2 | 159.8 | 11.4 |
| 1980 | 171.1 | 159.7 | 11.4 |
| 1981 | 171.0 | 159.6 | 11.4 |
| 1982 | 170.9 | 159.5 | 11.4 |
| 1983 | 170.8 | 159.4 | 11.4 |
| 1984 | 170.7 | 159.3 | 11.4 |
| 1985 | 170.6 | 159.2 | 11.4 |
| 1986 | 170.4 | 159.1 | 11.3 |
| 1987 | 170.2 | 159.0 | 11.2 |
| 1988 | 170.1 | 159.0 | 11.1 |
| 1989 | 169.9 | 158.9 | 11.0 |
| 1990 | 169.7 | 158.8 | 10.9 |
| 1991 | 169.5 | 158.7 | 10.8 |
| 1992 | 169.3 | 158.6 | 10.7 |
| 1993 | 169.2 | 158.5 | 10.7 |
| 1994 | 169.0 | 158.4 | 10.6 |
| 1995 | 168.8 | 158.3 | 10.5 |
| 1996 | 168.6 | 158.2 | 10.4 |
Explore by sex and age
Notable people from Zimbabwe with known heights
Bruce Grobbelaar
185 cm · 6'1"
b. 1957
Kirsty Coventry
179 cm · 5'10"
b. 1983
Robert Mugabe
170 cm · 5'7"
b. 1924
Benjani Mwaruwari
188 cm · 6'2"
b. 1978
Cara Black
167 cm · 5'6"
b. 1979
Kevin Ullyett
178 cm · 5'10"
b. 1972
Marvelous Nakamba
178 cm · 5'10"
b. 1994
Tino Kadewere
190 cm · 6'3"
b. 1996
Liz Chase
168 cm · 5'6"
b. 1950
Ann Grant
170 cm · 5'7"
b. 1955
Sonia Robertson
168 cm · 5'6"
b. 1947
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.