Have you ever wondered how much taller you are compared to your grandparents? Most people can easily say they are taller. According to the research-based publication “Our World in Data,” young people around the world today are on average about 10 centimeters taller than their ancestors from roughly 100 years ago. A 2016 study comparing individuals born in 1896 and 1996 found that South Korean women are 20 centimeters taller than people from a century ago, while Iranian men are about 17 centimeters taller.
Dr. Arvind Guntupalli, a senior health lecturer at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, explains, “Improvements in diet, disease conditions, vaccinations, and other factors have contributed to increased height.” However, human height has not always increased steadily. Over thousands of years, diet, wars, diseases, and major social changes have caused fluctuations in our physical stature.
Researchers say that in the absence of historical or statistical data, human height can reveal much about living standards. “Height is a crucial indicator of human health,” says Dr. Matthias Blum, honorary professor of economic history at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland. Studies show that 80 to 90 percent of height is genetically determined, while shorter stature is influenced by nutrition, disease risk, childhood environment, and access to healthcare. “Greater height indicates a higher standard of living,” Blum notes.
Scientists consider genetic variation but test average heights across large populations to identify inequalities that indicators like Gross Domestic Product (GDP) may not reveal. Blum highlights two historical phases. The first began around 12,000 to 10,000 years ago with the Neolithic Revolution, when humans transitioned from hunting and gathering to agriculture. Studying such ancient periods requires reliance on limited data, but there is broad consensus that the advent of farming led to a decrease in height. A 2022 study showed that Neolithic people were on average 2.8 centimeters shorter than those from the pre-Neolithic era.
