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About HeightScope

HeightScope is a set of free tools for comparing heights and understanding height statistics. It is run by HeightScope.

Why HeightScope exists

Most height comparison tools show a picture without saying where the numbers came from, and many height statistics online mix different groups and years without telling you. HeightScope draws every figure in strict proportion on one scale, and states the source, the group and the limits next to the data, so you can judge it yourself.

Where the data comes from

  • Average height by country: the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC), modelled estimates for young adults. See the average height methodology.
  • Children’s height by age: the WHO growth standards for under 2s and CDC growth charts from 2 to 20. US adults: CDC NHANES 2015–2018. See the percentile methodology.
  • Celebrities, athletes and record holders: official league and team profiles, Guinness World Records, or the height given on Wikipedia. See where celebrity heights come from.

How figures are checked

We never invent a height. Every record in the dataset has a named source with a link and a date it was last checked. We do not average sources or adjust figures; when sources disagree, the record says which one we used. Estimates and ranges are labelled as estimates, and conversions between centimetres, feet and inches all use one exact rule (2.54 cm to the inch), so the tools agree with each other.

Reported heights are not always measured heights: many are listed, self-reported or rounded. Treat a celebrity figure as the height a source gives, not as a precise measurement.

Silhouette credits

The animal, dinosaur and person silhouettes come from PhyloPic (opens in new tab) and Wikimedia Commons (opens in new tab). Each is public domain, CC0 or CC BY, and was recolored and cropped to a single shape; none was redrawn. Credit for the CC BY silhouettes is required and listed first. A few presets (Sauroposeidon, Argentinosaurus, red kangaroo, Great Dane) are drawn with a closely related species and say so. Presets without a silhouette (some buildings have none yet; celebrities use the person silhouette) are drawn as a plain bar with a category icon.

Icons

The WhatsApp, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit and Telegram marks in the share dialog come from Simple Icons (opens in new tab), released under CC0 1.0 (opens in new tab). The names and marks belong to their owners, and appear only to identify where each button leads. The other interface icons are drawn for HeightScope.

HeightScope illustrations

The object silhouettes and some of the landmark silhouettes are our own simple drawings, made from published dimensions so that each has the real proportions for the view shown. They are generic shapes with no logos, liveries or brand marks.

Privacy

HeightScope has no accounts, no analytics and no cookies, and does not store what you type; read the full privacy policy.

Report a wrong height

If a height or statistic looks wrong, email [email protected] with the name, the figure shown, and a link to a better source. We will check it and correct the record, or add a note if sources disagree.