Men and women have grown taller over the last century, with South Korean women shooting up by more than 20cm (7.9in) on average, and Iranian men gaining 16.5 cm (6.5in). A comprehensive global study looked at the average height of 18-year old men and women in 200 countries between 1914 and 2014. While South Korean women have shot up by just over 20cm (7.9 in) since 1914, men in South Africa have grown by just 1.4 cm (0.55 in) over the century. Latvian women, meanwhile, rose from 28th place in 1914 to become the tallest in the world a century later, with an average height of 169.8cm (5ft 6.9in). The results show that men are taller than women around the world, while for both sexes European countries now scoop the top 10 positions for height, with Dutch men and Latvian women the tallest for their sex.

Source: The Guardian July 25, 2016 23:02 UTC