is 5'6" tall for a woman?
it depends on your age and where you grew up. here's the actual percentile.
75th percentile
somewhat: 5'6" (167.6 cm) is above average for a woman in the us, taller than 75% of women aged 21–24. the typical american woman that age is 5'4" (163 cm), so 5'6" is 2 inches above the middle.
5'6" by age
the same height reads differently at 16 than at 30, because the middle moves as people finish growing.
| age | 5'6" is taller than | typical woman |
|---|---|---|
| 13–15 | 91% | 5'2" (159 cm) |
| 16–17 | 79% | 5'4" (162 cm) |
| 18–20 | 77% | 5'4" (163 cm) |
| 21–24 | 75% | 5'4" (163 cm) |
| 25–29 | 75% | 5'4" (163 cm) |
| 30–35 | 76% | 5'4" (163 cm) |
5'6" in other countries
5'6" is tall in the Philippines (taller than 98%) and below average in the Netherlands (taller than 34%). young women aged 21–24:
| country | 5'6" is | typical woman, 21–24 |
|---|---|---|
| Philippines | taller than 98% | 5'1" (155 cm) |
| India | taller than 97% | 5'1" (156 cm) |
| Nigeria | taller than 93% | 5'2" (158 cm) |
| Mexico | taller than 93% | 5'2" (158 cm) |
| Japan | taller than 92% | 5'2" (159 cm) |
| Spain | taller than 81% | 5'4" (162 cm) |
| Italy | taller than 81% | 5'4" (162 cm) |
| Brazil | taller than 76% | 5'4" (163 cm) |
| United States | taller than 75% | 5'4" (163 cm) |
| South Korea | taller than 72% | 5'5" (164 cm) |
| United Kingdom | taller than 71% | 5'5" (164 cm) |
| France | taller than 68% | 5'5" (165 cm) |
| China | taller than 67% | 5'5" (165 cm) |
| Australia | taller than 67% | 5'5" (165 cm) |
| Canada | taller than 66% | 5'5" (165 cm) |
| Germany | taller than 59% | 5'5" (166 cm) |
| Netherlands | taller than 34% | 5'7" (170 cm) |
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nearby heights
how this is worked out
us: United States, ages 21-24: normal, mean 162.9 cm, sd 7.0, chosen to match the published centre and spread in the sources; breakpoints are the world curve's own (every wheel edge). other countries: national means from ncd-risc with the who's spread. people overstate their height by 1–3 cm on average. 5'6" = 66 inches = 167.6 cm = 1.68 m.
- Anthropometric Reference Data for Children and Adults: United States, 2015–2018 · CDC National Center for Health Statistics (NHSR 160), 2021
- Height and BMI trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents, 1985-2019, 200 countries (NCD-RisC), Lancet 396:1511-1524 · NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, 2020
- WHO growth reference 5-19 years: height-for-age · World Health Organization, 2007
questions people ask
- Is 5'6" tall for a woman?
- In the US, 5'6" is taller than about 75% of women aged 21–24, so it is above average.
- How tall is the typical American woman?
- About 5'4" (162.9 cm) for women aged 21–24; half are taller and half are shorter.
- Is 5'6" short anywhere?
- It depends on the country: 5'6" is taller than 98% of women in the Philippines but 34% in the Netherlands.
- How many centimetres is 5'6"?
- 5'6" is 66 inches, which is 167.6 cm or 1.68 m.
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