Average Height in Japan 2023

Japan is famous for many things; its technology, crowded yet tidy cities, beautiful natural sights, a culture that is older than a thousand years, and even the country that has the longest life expectancy. When we think about what average height is, it is as its name itself, the height average of the people that live in a certain area; it can be a city, a country, or another place. Even though Japan is well-known for hundred things, a high average height is not one of them. However, there is still a great average height change in Japan over the past century. Let’s find out what Japan average height is and much more.

The Average Height of Different Age Groups in Japan

Several different factors affect human growth during childhood and teenage years. The main factor is usually genetics. The genetic height capacity of a person is plus or minus 10 cm affected by other factors, which are diet, exercise, the psychological state of someone, and chronic disease if the person has any. 

You can view the Japanese height average for the different age groups. The data belongs to Japan Sports Agency, 2018.

17-year-old Japanese men’s height average is 170.7 cm (5 feet 7.2 inches) and 17-year-old Japanese women’s height average is 157.8 cm (5 feet 2.1 inches). We would also like to mention the weight average, 17-year-old men weigh in at 137.7 Ibs (62.5 kg) and women at 116.6 Ibs (52.9 kg). We mentioned 17-year-old Japanese people’s height and weight average separately because we would like you to be able to compare the Japanese teenager’s height to the Japanese adult’s height. 

It can be observed from the statistics given that the new generation’s average height is not higher than the 20-49-year-old Japanese people. According to Japan’s National Health and Nutrition Survey, the average height for a man in Japan was only 160.3 cm (5 feet 3.1 inches) and the average height for women in Japan was only 148.9 cm (4 feet 10 inches) 70 years ago, which shows that there is approximately 10 cm height increase in Japan over the 70 years. 

The peak height average in Japan is between the ages 35-39, that is people born between 1983-1987. But after that, a study shows that there is a decline in the height average in Japan. The reason for the height increase until the late 80s was the better health conditions, nutrition, and physical exercise that the government tried to make a habit for society. However, the reason for the decline in the average height is thought to be linked to the recent low birth weight in infants in Japan. Our Average Height in Asia article might interest you as well.

Average Height by Gender in Japan

Average Male Height in Japan 

The average height of Japanese men is 170.8 cm (5 feet 7.2 inches), which is the exact height of 50-54 years old Japanese people. When we compare it to the US male average height, it is 5 cm shorter (1.8 inches). And if we compare it to the European male average height, this time it is almost 10 cm shorter (3.8 inches), which is expected because Europe’s height average is the highest, compared to the other continents. 

However, when the global average height of men is considered, Japan is considerably not that short at all. The average height of a man in the world is 171 cm (5 feet 7.3 inches), which is only 0.2 cm taller than the average height of Japan.

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Average Female Height in Japan

The average female height in Japan, on the other hand, is much lower than the average male height in Japan, which is only 159.5 cm (5 feet 2.8 inches). Compared to the US female average, the Japanese female average is 2 cm shorter (0.7 inches), and compared to the European average, they are 7.5 cm shorter (3 inches). 

The global average height of a woman is 159.5 cm (5 feet 2.8 inches), which is the exact same height as the female average height in Japan. 

The World’s Smallest Newborn is in Japan

As we have mentioned before, there is a significant decrease in the birth weight of newborns in Japan. Sekino Ryusuke is now a four-year-old and was born in Karuizawa, Japan in 2018. When he was delivered, he was weighing only 258 grams and was 22 cm tall, which drew media attention as being the World’s smallest baby. 

In November 2021, when he was three years old, he is noted to be weighing 7.16 kg and 74.2 cm tall. His mother Toshiko mentions that Sekino is always hungry and has a huge appetite. 

If you would like to compare your height to the tallest, shortest person or the USA male, and female average like we did in the article by comparing them to the average height in Japan, you can use our Height Comparison Tool.