The world’s tallest nation is getting shorter

Although height has increased over the past 100 years, the study showed that Dutch men born in 2001 were 1 centimeter (.39 in) shorter than their 1980 counterparts. For women, the difference was more pronounced with a difference of 1.4 centimeters (.55 in).

According to the researchers, the reason for the decrease in height is partly related to increased levels of immigration from smaller population groups. However, the growth decreased even for individuals whose parents were both born in the Netherlands, and whose four grandparents were all Dutch born.

Dutch men with no family history of migration showed no increase in height, whereas Dutch women with no family history of migration decreased.

Although the Dutch have raised their height over the past 70 years to stand head and shoulders above the rest of the world, according to researchers, the streets of the Netherlands are painting a very different picture in 2020 than in the 1950s.

While about 3% of the 1930–34 generation were at least 190 cm (6.2 ft) tall, in 2020 more than 20% are at least 190 cm, with 7% being over 195 cm. In the 1950s, 42% of young men were shorter than 175 centimeters (5.7 feet) – but in 2020, that figure is just 12%.

For the same generation of women, less than 2% of the 1930–34 group reached a height of 180 centimeters (5.9 ft). Although about 10% of those born in 1980 are at least 180 cm tall.

The picture is not uniform across the Netherlands, with large differences between the north and south of the country. The people of Limburg are the smallest, while the natives of Friesland are between 3 cm and 3.5 cm tall.

The researchers emphasize that the Dutch have not lost their title of tallest people in the world, with those born at the turn of the millennium still claiming this position. He speculates that the generation in the late 1950s was the first to make this claim to fame.