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The countries with the tallest people in the world, ranked

✇Latest News
By: Bill Bostock，Jenny McGrath
18 December 2024 at 13:56
Sultan Kosen is very tall compared to the two children standing on a short wall next to him as he holds a cane and one of their hands
Sultan Kösen poses next to two children in 2024.

Waleed Zein/Anadolu via Getty Images

  • Height varies widely around the world, but some countries tend to have taller citizens.
  • Using medical data, Business Insider found the mean heights for the 25 tallest countries.
  • Many European countries made the list, including Germany, Poland, and Croatia

Sultan Kösen, who hails from Turkey, is nearly 8 feet 3 inches tall and may be the tallest person on the planet.

Despite his impressive stature, his country isn't among those with the tallest people, according to the medical database from the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration.

From 1985 to 2019, the project collected height, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and other health metrics from over 2,500 population surveys across 193 countries.

The NCD lists the mean heights for 19-year-old men and women in each country. Averaging these two figures gives a rough idea of how tall the typical person is in the country.

Notably, the US isn't on the list. It ranked 58th for women, at 5 feet 4.29 inches (163.3 cm), and 47th for men at 5 feet 9.65 inches (176.9 cm).

These are the 25 countries that (literally) came out on top.

25. Greece's mean height is 5 feet 7.93 inches (172.55 cm).
John Aniston and Jennifer Aniston at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City, New York (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
John Aniston, an actor and the late father of Jennifer Aniston, was born on the island of Crete in Greece.

Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

The mean height for men from Greece is 5 feet 10.59 inches (179.3 cm).

The mean height for women from Greece is 5 feet 5.28 inches (165.8 cm).

24. Austria's mean height is 5 feet 7.99 inches (172.7 cm).
Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) poses after receiving from US actor Danny DeVito his lifetime achievement award at the annual German film and television award ceremony Golden Camera.
Austrian-born Arnold Schwarzenegger, who's about 6 feet 2 inches tall, starred alongside Danny DeVito in the 1988 movie "Twins."

CHRISTIAN CHARISIUS/Getty Images

The mean height for men from Austria is 5 feet 10.28 inches (178.5 cm).

The mean height for women from Austria is 5 feet 5.71 inches (166.9 cm).

22. Belarus' mean height is 5 feet 8.03 inches (172.8 cm).
Victoria Azarenka
The 6-foot Belarusian tennis player Victoria Azarenka used her height to her advantage on the court.

THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images

The mean height for men from Belarus is 5 feet 10.35 inches (178.7 cm).

The mean height for women from Belarus is 5 feet 5.71 inches (166.9 cm).

22. Cook Islands' mean height is 5 feet 8.03 inches (172.8 cm).
Three women in brightly colored clothing and headware stand and wave on a beach on Cook Island
The Cook Islands, located in the South Pacific, aren't far from French Polynesia.

iStock via Getty Images Plus

The mean height for men from the Cook Islands is 5 feet 10.19 inches (178.3 cm).

The mean height for women from the Cook Islands is 5 feet 5.87 inches (167.3 cm).

21. Bermuda's mean height is 5 feet 8.07 inches (172.9 cm).
Daren Herbert on stage acting in The Wild Party, a musical
Bermuda-born actor and dancer Daren Herbert has appeared in many TV shows and movies.

Rick Madonik/Toronto Star via Getty Images

The mean height for men from Bermuda is 5 feet 10.75 inches (179.7 cm).

The mean height for women from Bermuda is 5 feet 5.39 inches (166.1 cm).

19. Poland's mean height is 5 feet 8.21 inches (173.25 cm).
Poland Entry Blanka performs "Solo" on stage during The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 Grand Final at M&S Bank Arena on in Liverpool, England
In the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, singer Blanka, center, represented Poland.

Anthony Devlin/Getty Images

The mean height for men from Poland is 5 feet 11.14 inches (180.7 cm).

The mean height for women from Poland is 5 feet 5.28 inches (165.8 cm).

19. Germany's mean height is 5 feet 8.21 inches (173.25 cm).
angela merkel
Former German chancellor Angela Merkel is a similar height to many other women in her country.

Omer Messinger-Pool/Getty Images

The mean height for men from Germany is 5 feet 10.98 inches (180.3 cm).

The mean height for women from Germany is 5 feet 5.43 inches (166.2 cm).

18. Norway's mean height is 5 feet 8.29 inches (173.45 cm).
Magnus Carlsen looks up from the chess board during a match in 2021.
Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen adds a bit to his height when he styles his hair a certain way.

Jon Gambrell/AP Images

The mean height for men from Norway is 5 feet 11.06 inches (180.5 cm).

The mean height for women from Norway is 5 feet 5.51 inches (166.4 cm).

16. Finland's mean height is 5 feet 8.33 inches (173.55 cm).
finland happy
A man holds a Finnish flag.

Vesa Moilanen/Lehtikuva/Reuters

The mean height for men from Finland is 5 feet 11.1 inches (180.6 cm).

The mean height for women from Finland is 5 feet 5.55 inches (166.5 cm).

16. Dominica's mean height is 5 feet 8.33 inches (173.55 cm).
Danny John-Jules and Petula Langlais dressed up and holding wine at the inaugural Visionary Honours Awards in 2019
"Death in Paradise" star Danny John-Jules, pictured with Petula Langlais, was born in London and both his parents are from Dominica.

Dave Benett/Getty Images

The mean height for men from Dominica is 5 feet 10.94 inches (180.2 cm).

The mean height for women from Dominica is 5 feet 5.71 inches (166.9 cm).

 

 

 

15. Sweden's mean height is 5 feet 8.35 inches (173.6 cm).
Soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimović wears a white jersey and shorts on the soccer field and spreads his arms wide
Swede Zlatan Ibrahimović, a former soccer player, is 6 feet 5 inches tall. Shaun Clark/Getty Images

Shaun Clark/Getty Images

The mean height for men from Sweden is 5 feet 11.06 inches (180.5 cm).

The mean height for women from Sweden is 5 feet 5.63 inches (166.7 cm).

 

 

 

13. Ukraine's mean height is 5 feet 8.43 inches (173.8 cm).
(L-R) Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd attend the 2021 World Choreography Awards
"Dancing with the Stars" alum Maksim Chmerkovskiy, pictured with Peta Murgatroyd, moved to the US from Ukraine as a teen.

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

The mean height for men from Ukraine is 5 feet 11.26 inches (181 cm).

The mean height for women from Ukraine is 5 feet 5.59 inches (166.6 cm).

13. Croatia's mean height is 5 feet 8.43 inches (173.8 cm).
Slavica Ecclestone and Bernie Ecclestone under a green-and-white umbrella at the British Grand Prix in 2008
Croatian former model Slavica Ecclestone, pictured with her ex-husband, Bernie Ecclestone, is toweringly tall.

Crispin Thruston/Action Images via Reuters

The mean height for men from Croatia is 5 feet 11.18 inches (180.8 cm).

The mean height for women from Croatia is 5 feet 5.67 inches (166.8 cm).

12. Slovakia's mean height is 5 feet 8.52 inches (174.05 cm).
Slovakia's Petra Vlhova celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's parallel slalom World Cup in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019
Petra Vlhová, Slovakia's first alpine skier to win an Olympic medal, is nearly 6 feet tall.

AP Photo/Sergio Bisi

The mean height for men from Slovakia is 5 feet 11.26 inches (181 cm).

The mean height for women from Slovakia is 5 feet 5.79 inches (167.1 cm).

11. Slovenia's mean height is 5 feet 8.54 inches (174.1 cm).
Slovenia's President Natasa Pirc Musar and Kosovo's President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu talk as they pose for a photo during the Brdo-Brijuni Process in Skopje, North Macedonia in 2023
Slovenia's president, Nataša Pirc Musar, poses with Kosovo's president, Vjosa Osmani.

REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski

The mean height for men from Slovenia is 5 feet 11.26 inches (181 cm).

The mean height for women from Slovenia is 5 feet 5.83 inches (167.2 cm).

10. Lithuania's mean height is 5 feet 8.56 inches (174.15 cm).
Wearing a black warm-up outfit Lithuania's Ruta Meilutyte celebrates on the podium after winning the women's 50m breastroke final at the Fukuoka 2023 World Aquatics Championships
Rūta Meilutytė has broken several swimming records and won an Olympic gold medal for Lithuania.

REUTERS/Issei Kato

The mean height for men from Lithuania is 5 feet 11.14 inches (180.7 cm).

The mean height for women from Lithuania is 5 feet 5.98 inches (167.6 cm).

9. Serbia's mean height is 5 feet 8.7 inches (174.5 cm).
Serbian Prime Minister and leader of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) Aleksandar Vucic wears a suit and gestures during a rally ahead of the 2016 election in Belgrade
Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vučić, is well over 6 feet tall.

REUTERS/Marko Djurica

The mean height for men from Serbia is 5 feet 11.14 inches (180.7 cm).

The mean height for women from Serbia is 5 feet 6.26 inches (168.3 cm).

8. Czech Republic's mean height is 5 feet 8.74 inches (174.6 cm).
Madeleine Albright stands in front of a microphone in front of shelves of books in 2012
Born in Prague in what is now the Czech Republic, the late Madeleine Albright was the first woman to serve as the US Secretary of State.

E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

The mean height for men from the Czech Republic is 5 feet 11.34 inches (181.2 cm).

The mean height for women from the Czech Republic is 5 feet 6.14 inches (168 cm).

6. Bosnia and Herzegovina's mean height is 5 feet 8.9 inches (175 cm).
Athletes from Bosnia and Herzegovina make their entrance at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Athletes from Bosnia and Herzegovina at the opening ceremony for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

The mean height for men from Bosnia & Herzegovina is 5 feet 11.85 inches (182.5 cm).

The mean height for women from Bosnia & Herzegovina is 5 feet 5.94 inches (167.5 cm).

6. Latvia's mean height is 5 feet 8.9 inches (175 cm).
Athletes from Latvia make their entrance at the Summer Olympics.
Latvian athletes make their entrance at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Hannah McKay/Pool Photo via AP

The mean height for men from Latvia is 5 feet 11.34 inches (181.2 cm).

The mean height for women from Latvia is 5 feet 6.46 inches (168.8 cm).

5. Iceland's mean height is 5 feet 9.09 inches (175.5 cm).
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson and fitness expert Natalie Eva Marie are dressed in costumes at the launch of Monster Energy’s new performance beverage REIGN Total Body Fuel in 2019 in New York City.
A few inches shy of 7 feet, "Game of Thrones" actor Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, pictured with professional wrestler Natalie Eva Marie, was born in Reykjavík, Iceland.

Brian Ach/Getty Images for REIGN Total Body Fuel

The mean height for men from Iceland is 5 feet 11.69 inches (182.1 cm).

The mean height for women from Iceland is 5 feet 6.5 inches (168.9 cm).

4. Denmark's mean height is 5 feet 9.17 inches (175.7 cm).
Mads Mikkelsen in a tuxedo at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival
Trained as a gymnast, Mads Mikkelsen began his acting career in his native Denmark.

Joel C. Ryan/AP

The mean height for men from Denmark is 5 feet 11.61 inches (181.9 cm).

The mean height for women from Denmark is 5 feet 6.73 inches (169.5 cm).

3. Estonia's mean height is 5 feet 9.19 inches (175.75 cm).
Miss Estonia, Jana Tafenau, wears a black vest, white button-down shirt, and red skirt on stage at the 2002 Miss Universe pageant.
Miss Estonia Jana Tafenau performs at the 2002 Miss Universe pageant.

Jose Jimenez/Primera Hora/Getty Images

The mean height for men from Estonia is 5 feet 11.97 inches (182.8 cm).

The mean height for women from Estonia is 5 feet 6.42 inches (168.7 cm).

2. Montenegro's mean height is 5 feet 9.55 inches (176.65 cm).
Montenegro`s Mirko Vucinic (L) celebrates with Nikola Vukcevic and Fatos Baciraj (R) after scoring a goal during their Euro 2016 qualifying soccer match in Podgorica, Montenegro in 2015.
Montenegro`s soccer team competes during the Euro 2016 qualifying soccer match.

REUTERS/Stevo Vasiljevic

The mean height for men from Montenegro is 6 feet 0.17 inches (183.3 cm).

The mean height for women from Montenegro is 5 feet 6.93 inches (170 cm).

 

 

1. The Netherlands's mean height is 5 feet 9.72 inches (177.1 cm).
King Willem-Alexander in a suit and blue tie and Queen Maxima in a red dress with a sparkly dragonfly pin on her shoulder stand next to each other
The Netherlands' King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima are typical heights for their country.

Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

The mean height for men from the Netherlands is 6 feet 0.36 inches (183.8 cm).

The mean height for women from the Netherlands is 5 feet 7.09 inches (170.4 cm).

A note on mean versus average heights: Using mean heights instead of averages gives a sense of which countries have the most people who are tall. For example, many Icelandic men are 5 feet 11 inches. 

The list would look different ranked by average heights. The Federal Statistical Office of Germany calculates heights by average, for example, and the results would bump the country up several spots in the rankings. 

This post was originally published in 2019 and was updated on December 18, 2024.

Read the original article on Business Insider

We paid $475 to spend the night in an ice hotel in Norway. It was a cool experience, but I'd never do it again.

✇Latest News
By: Dana McMahan
18 December 2024 at 04:58
Dana — dressed in a coat, pants, and gloves — sits on an ice bed with an animal-hide blanket
My husband and I stayed in an ice hotel in Norway.

Dana McMahan

  • My husband and I spent $475 to stay in the the Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel in Norway.
  • Sleeping in the hotel, which is made of ice and snow, was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
  • Next time, though, I'd rather skip the sleeping bags and stay in a warm lodge.

When my husband and I traveled to Norway and the Arctic Circle last year, we decided to stay in an otherworldly ice hotel — the Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel at Sorrisniva Arctic Wilderness Lodge in Alta, Norway.

At $475 per night, this was the most we've ever spent on a hotel stay. However, it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime chance to check off a bucket-list experience and stay at a place made of ice and snow.

Although the stunning hotel and scenery looked like something straight out of a fantasy, the closer it got to bedtime, the more I second-guessed our decision to sleep on ice.

Here's what our experience at the Igloo Hotel was like.

We arrived at the hotel a few hours early.
Dana and her husband stand in the snow near a road, with the northern lights visible above them.
We were able to see the northern lights.

Dana McMahan

The ice hotel is open to the public for tours, so we didn't get access to our room until 8 p.m. However, due to the timing of our flight, we arrived around 1 p.m., which left us with plenty of time to explore.

We walked around outside, marveled at how dark it was, had some food, and hung out in the lobby, where we were fortunate enough to be able to see the northern lights.

We also visited the hotel's ice bar.
Dana holds up a glass and stands next to her husband at a bar made of ice.
Visiting the ice bar was a really cool experience.

Dana McMahan

Aside from its rooms and suites, the hotel's star attraction is its ice bar. It's only open for drinks during specific time slots, but the sheer fun of having a shot glass made of ice slid across an ice bar made up for the limited hours.

Here, I was able to sit down with my drink on a reindeer-hide-draped ice seat and channel my inner ice queen.

Finally, we made our way to our room.
A bed of ice with a reindeer-hide blanket and pillows.
Our room was dark and quiet.

Dana McMahan

At around 10 p.m., we retrieved our bulky sleeping bags and pillows and toted them a short distance through sub-zero temperatures to get to our room.

The suite, which was entirely constructed of ice and snow and glowed with an otherworldly purple color, had two main sections: a sitting area and the main bedroom.

The bed was essentially a platform of ice topped with a comfy mattress and reindeer hides. Instead of a headboard, our room had a snow carving featuring an illuminated tree of life, an important symbol in Norse mythology.

Notably, there was no bathroom in the suite, so we were told to avoid drinking anything too close to bedtime — unless we wanted to walk to another building in the middle of the night.

Unfortunately, I didn't find it easy to sleep on ice.
Dana and her husband lay in sleeping bags, wearing heavy coats, hats, and blankets.
I felt a bit clammy inside the sleeping bag.

Dana McMahan

Neither of us are campers, so burrowing down into sleeping bags and getting comfortable was a new process for us. Once we were settled, our room was very dark and incredibly quiet — you could almost feel the tons of snow overhead.

I tossed and turned most of the night (unlike my husband, who snoozed peacefully, as usual).

Our room wasn't uncomfortably cold, really, but I felt clammy inside the sleeping bag. Plus, the novelty of sleeping on ice felt too exciting for me to relax and fall asleep.

By 7 a.m., we were ready for warmth, coffee, and a wonderful Nordic breakfast buffet in the main lodge.

I'm glad we stayed in the Igloo Hotel — but I don't need to do it again.
Dana lounges on a couch made of ice that's covered with a reindeer hide. Above her, the walls are made of snow and carved into a mural.
I don't think I'd sleep at the Igloo Hotel again.

Dana McMahan

Staying at the Igloo Hotel was incredible, but I'm happy to keep it a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

We loved everything about the Arctic, but considering how much time we spent contending with extreme cold, it was a little over the top to also sleep in an ice hotel.

If I were to return to the hotel, I'd take a tour, have a drink at its ice bar, and then go sleep in a cheaper, warmer lodge nearby.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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