Average Height for Women: World, Weight, and More

The average height depends on various determinants, including where you are born, raised, nutrition and other health factors. Currently, a woman raised in the United States has an average height of 5 feet 4 inches.

Medical history shows the tallest (8 feet 4 inches) woman was Trijntje Keever of Edam, Netherlands. In the journal Scientific American, an informal article, "Ancient American Giants", came out where we can see a case from Brushcreek Township, Ohio. There Dr J. F. was in charge of a team. They found some coffins containing skeletons. The first coffin contained a women's 8 ft. long skeleton with a child 3.5 ft. The Second coffin had an 8 ft. tall woman with a 9 ft tall man. In the third one, they saw a 9.4 ft man and an 8 ft. tall woman. There were seven other coffins containing 8-10 ft. tall skeletons. 

Evolution of Height in Women

A study shows that women in the 1960s had an average height of 5 feet and 3 inches with 140 pounds of weight. Now we see that the average weight of women increased by 28 pounds, whereas height has only increased by an inch over the exact time. This indicates that height is increasing much slower than weight.

American Women: How tall are they?

We observed that in 1914, American men and women were the third and fourth tallest in the world. After approximately a century, these women stood in 42nd, and men stood in 37th place as the tallest in the world.

In a 2016 survey, we see that the average height of Americans increased more slowly than the height of other countries. In this survey, we see the height of women, aged from 20 yrs to up, is 5 feet 4 inches. The authors indicated that the cause of the slow increase might be a consequence of bad nutrition. Continue reading to find out which activities can favour you to stay in the healthy range.

Are American Women Getting Taller?

We come to know from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that since the 1960s, the average height of Americans has slightly increased. On the contrary, weight has increased significantly over the last 60 years.

Here the question arises, what is the cause that the growth for Americans slows down? Some say it includes malnutrition or more likely choosing foods that have lesser nutrients. Majid Ezzati, the chair of Global Environmental Health at Imperial College, London, said in an interview with National Public Radio that one of the impactful causes over shorter stature is the immigration of people from other countries. 

Factors that Influence Height

Many factors leaves an effect on people's height. Among them some are natural and others are from the standard of living.

• Genetics

Genes have a primary impact on your height. The height depends on genes around 60-80%. If both parents are short, a child may inherit the same. Turner syndrome, specifically for women, causes a below-average height. 

• Location

Location is another factor that influences height. Where a person grows up impacts height. Some influencing factors are – 

• Availability of Clean water
• Nutrition
• Sanitation
• Availability of Vaccination 
• Availability of good healthcare. During pregnancy and childbirth healthcare availability is necessary,
• How the climate is.

• Hormones

A person's height and other related factors depend on Human Growth Hormone(HGH). If you lack this hormone your growth will be disrupted. In the International Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology, research shows that HGH supplements influence to increase in the height of children with unknown short stature.

• Nutrition

A healthy diet with essential nutrients, vitamins, calcium and protein helps to increase a child's height.

• Sleep

Sleep plays an important role to promote growth hormones. Children need approx 8- 10 hours of sleep every day. 

• Environment

Development depends on a good environment. If children are in a bad environment or have trauma, they are not getting proper nurture. They may get sick, and it hampers their growth.

Research shows that, especially for girls, a supportive environment is necessary to get adequate growth in pre-adolescence. 

•  Sex

We know that men tend to get taller than women. We can see rapid growth in men during their puberty. Where men grow till 22 years, women stop growing at 19 years. Men are, on average, up to 6 inches taller than women. 

Researchers show that the X chromosome is responsible for some differences between men and women, including height. Here chromosomes play a great role to create these differences. X chromosomes tend to be shorter. Women have a set of X chromosomes which genetically plays a role in their shorter height.

Average Height Over the World

From the website, World Data we get some ideas about the average height of women aged between18 to 40 over the world.

• European women have an average height of 5 feet 6 inches.
• In several parts of Asia, including China, women have an average height of about 5 feet.
• The average height for women in the U.S is slightly above the average for women in North America. Women's average height in the U.S. and Canada are the same. The same average in Mexico is just below 5 feet 2 inches.
• The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) reported that the recorded shortest average heights for women in South Asia and Guatemala are under 5 feet.

Relationship Between Height and Health

Cavalli-Sforza and Cavalli-Sforza note that different environments and their evolution process are partly responsible for the worldwide variation of heights. Health implications that we get from height are the result of the evolution process. Tallness is beneficial for a colder climate, such as in Europe, while shortness is good for a warmer climate. 

We cannot make a general statement from the connections between health and height as tallness and shortness can both give health benefits in various environments.

Studies prove that there is an interrelation between small body size and longer life span. The University of Hawaii discovered that the "longevity gene" (FOXO3) minimizes the sign of ageing in people having smaller body sizes. They are more likely to have lower blood pressure and are less likely to have cancer. Women whose height is under 4 feet and 11 inches (150 cm ) can have a small pelvis. They face complications during childbirth as shoulder dystocia. Some studies suggest that shorter bodies have lesser chronic diseases and greater longevity. For example, in the "smaller lives longer" thesis, we find eight supportive pieces of evidence that back up before said statement.

On the other hand, tall people tend to have cardiovascular problems as the heart feels load to supply blood to all over the body. The brain takes time to communicate with the extremities. For example, Robert Wadlow, Known to be the tallest man faced trouble walking as his height increased and he had to use braces for his legs. At the age of 22, he died. 

In the Western Journal of Medicine, Samaras and Elrick show that there is an inverse relationship between height and longevity. 

From the medical point of view, height measurement is needed to monitor child development. When older people lose height randomly, it's considered a symptom of osteoporosis. Height is also used to measure body surface area or body mass index.

How Height Helps to Get Occupational Success

Researchers from several branches like psychology, economics, and human biology find a relation between height and occupational success. However, other factors like socioeconomic status or gender might influence different people in a different way to get success. 

Shorter people are acknowledged to have a benefit in certain sports like gymnastics, race car driving etc., and taller people have an advantage in other games like basketball, swimming etc. 

Relationship between height and weight

In 2016 we see that American women are having an average body mass index (BMI) of 29.6, which is considered overweight. The average BMI was 28.2 in 1999.

BMI helps you to look at your overall health. There are many methods to calculate BMI for adults and children. Keep reading to know how ca you measure your BMI. This section gives you a chart of height related to weight that shows where your BMI falls. 

What is the Average Weight of American Women?

The average weight of an American woman from the age of 20 years to up is 170.6 pounds. At the same time, the height is approx 5 feet, 4 inches(63.7 inches). The average waist circumference is 38.6 inches. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), based on 2016 data, has reported that some 39.8 % of adults in the United States are obese. Here we have provided a breakdown for women: 

The chart as shown below suggests the average weight for different ages of women as of 2016

Weight of People from the World in Comparison with Americans

The population have the highest average body mass in the world. A study from 2012 suggests that 70% of the North American population belong to the overweight to the obese range. On the other hand, people in Asia have the lowest body mass. The average BMI of the Japanese was 22.9 in 2005. In comparison, Americans had an average BMI of 28.7.

This table will show you the percentages of overweight people worldwide:

 

How can you Determine Weight Ranges?

Do you know which factors play a role in your ideal weight? They are your gender, height and the composition of fat and muscles. Among popular tools, BMI helps to figure out your ideal weight using a formula. To calculate your BMI, you need to divide your weight (pounds) by your height (inches). After getting the result, multiply it with 703. Otherwise, online calculators are available to minimize your hassle.

Here we have provided a range. You can easily understand after calculating your BMI, where you stand.

• Underweight:  under 18.5
• Healthy:  between 18.5 and 24.9
• Overweight:  between 25.0 and 29.9
• Obese:  above 30.0

However, this method is good for a starter but is not accurate always. Want to know why? Because other factors are also related to it, such as your muscle composition, body size, and age. For example, research showed that athletes consider overweight or obese despite being in very good condition. On the other hand, Older persons store more fat in their bodies.

Weight Management? Know-how

Some matters deserve your hard work. And keeping a healthy body is worth it. A healthy body prevents your suffering from various medical conditions that people get from obesity. Such as:

• high blood pressure
• coronary artery disease (CAD)
• type 2 diabetes
• heart disease

Some preventive measures are mentioned below. We hope you will find these suggestions helpful to manage your weight.

• Try to have less portion of food than usual

Divide your whole meal into portions. Fill a quarter of your meal with lean protein, like chicken, salmon. Another quarter should be filled with whole grains like brown rice. Rest portion, pile it with green veggies.

• Drink Water before a meal

It's a good idea to have a glass of water before having your meal. This will reduce your hunger, and you eat only the needed amount. 

• Eat your Breakfast

Your body needs fuel to run. So, you need to give your nutrients from time to time. Breakfast is the first meal of the day. To get an energetic day, you need to eat a proper breakfast. 

• Take more Fibre

The recommended range of fibre for women is 21-25 grams per day. Add more whole grains like bread, cereal, rice, beans etc., to your meal. Fibre helps to fill your tummy much faster, making you feel full.

• Excercise

Currently, it is recommended to have a 150 minute moderate or 75-minute vigorous physical activity in a week. 

• Stay Hydrated

Each day women need 11.5 cups of fluid. Water is best among the lowest calories, but other beverages like tea, coffee, infused water etc., also come into the category that hydrates you.

• Avoid Processed Foods

Processed foods are filled with calories in the form of sugar and fat. To reduce calorie intake, cut out processed foods from your daily intake.

• Fasting

We are not telling you not to have food for a long time. It's just staying without food for some time. Some research shows periodic fasting help to lose fat.

Methods to Calculate the Ideal Weight Range for Women

When a person is healthiest and fittest in their existed weight, we say it is the ideal weight. Let's see how we can calculate our weight range. 

• BMI

BMI is easy to work with and the most commonly used tool to calculate the ideal weight range. We have discussed BMI calculation earlier. There are many BMI calculating tools available online. Muscle weighs more than fat. BMI sometimes gives an error picture.

One study showed criticism against BMI for undermining the commonness of obesity in both sexes and being increasingly wrong as women age.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute shows the range of BMI.

 

• Waist to Hip Ratio

Fat is of different types, and it is spread all over a person's body. When fat stores around the midsection of someone's body, it creates a high risk of related diseases. The World Health Organization(WHO) said that fat stored around the midsection of the body is associated with a risk of stroke, premature death and heart attack. It also says that Waist to Hip ratio calculation is a better indicator of fat distribution than calculation BMI.

How to calculate? Divide waist measurement by hip measurement. As WHO said, the circumference of the waist should be 80 cm or 31.5 inches or less for the women. Here, a list of indicators and related risks of health problems is given below:

• Body Fat Percentage

To calculate your ideal weight, body fat percentage is another way. The method shows a person's weight and how much lean tissue and fat weight they have. Though this measurement method is considered ideal for calculating ideal body weight, there lie some drawbacks. 

• An accurate method of calculating body fat percentage, DXA scans can be expensive and take more time.
• It does not show the ideal body fat percentage and the cut-off points should be.

Anyway, the American Council on Exercise indicated the following body fat guidelines for women:

Ideal Weight and other factors

When you are going to calculate your ideal weight, many calculating methods such as BMI and waist-to-hip ratio can help. But there are other factors that you should keep in mind before calculating what the ideal weight is for women.

• Age

Research points out that when people age, the amount of fat in their bodies increases, and their muscle decreases. This means that if you want to stay lean as age increases, you may have to work harder on your diets and exercise more than what you had to do at your young age. 

• Height

BMI considers both height and weight. So, persons having the same BMI have different heights and weights. We have provided a table on how a healthy BMI range translates to different weights at different heights:

As an adult woman, It's beyond your control to do something with your height, but still, you can get a healthy BMI by working on your weight. You should remember that your BMI might not be the most reliable indicator of your health. However, Your doctor can help you with more accurate information. Even he also guide you to create an eating and exercise plan.

Here you had an insight into the average height and weight of women from around the world, especially American women. You also came to know about the determinants of height and the relation between height and weight. We have also suggested how you can get your ideal weight and several ways to calculate it. At the end of today's discussion, we assume that you are satisfied with all the information that we have provided so far. 

References

• https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321132
• https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/average-weight-for-women#weight-managemen