Study: Average Female Height

The average adult female measures 5 feet 3 inches. American girls tend to stop growing by the time they are just 14 years old. American women are only 42nd tallest in the world, falling from their once 4th place status.

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Keep reading to learn interesting facts about the average woman's height.

The Average Woman's Height at All Ages

• What is the average height of a female aged 20 and over in the U.S.?
  The average female in the U.S. measures 63.7 inches, or about 5 feet 4 inches. This is the average of women from all races over the age of 20.

• What is the average height of a female teenager?
  The average female teen measures 63.9 inches at age 16. That's actually slightly higher than the average height for women aged 20 and over. This is due to the shrinking women go through as they age, bringing the average lower for adult women.

• What is the average height of a female over the age of 60?
  The average female aged 60-69 measures 63.2 inches. This is 0.5 inches less than the average for all women. Women continually shrink after age 69, though. By the time the average woman is 80 years old, she measures just 61.3 inches, or just over 5 feet tall.

The Average Height of Female Teenagers

• What is the average height of a 13-year-old girl?
  The average 13-year-old girl measures 62.4 inches. This is just 1.3 inches shorter than the average adult woman.

• At what height is a 16-year-old female considered tall?
  Girls in the 95th percentile at age 16 measure 68.1 inches. This is 4.4 inches taller than the average woman over the age of 20.

• At what age on average do female teens stop growing in height?
  Females tend to stop growing sooner than teenage boys. The average teenage girl stops growing between the ages of 14 and 15. The exact age depends on when a female menstruates, as they tend to grow an inch or two after hitting this milestone.

The Average Height of Young Girls

• How tall is the average 2-year-old girl?
  The average female is generally slightly shorter than the average male. The average 2-year-old girl measures 35.4 inches, whereas the average 2-year-old boy measures 36.3 inches.

• How tall is the average 10-year-old girl?
  The average 10-year-old girl measures 56.8 inches. At this point in their life, the average female is slightly taller than the average male, who stands at 56.3 inches at the age of 10.

• When does the average girl have the largest growth spurt?
  Girls tend to have their largest growth spurt between the ages of 2 and 3. Boys are a little slower in the growth department, as their largest growth spurt is between ages 3 and 4. However, as females stop growing around ages 13 or 14, boys keep going until they are almost an adult.

Average Female Height by Race

• What is the average height of an African American female over the age of 20?
  The average African American female measures 64.2 inches; this is just over 5 feet 4 inches tall.

• What is the average height of an Asian female over the age of 20?
  The average Asian woman measures 61.8 inches, or just about 5 feet 2 inches tall. This is just about 2 inches shorter than the average American woman.

• What is the average height of an Hispanic female over the age of 20?
  The average Hispanic woman over the age of 20 measures 62 inches tall, or 5 feet 2 inches.

Average Female Height Around the World

• Which country has the tallest average females?
  The tallest women in the world live in Latvia. The average Latvian woman measures a little less than 5 feet 7 inches tall.

• Which country has the shortest average female?
  The shortest women in the world live in Guatemala. The average woman in this country measures just 4 feet 10 inches tall! That's about the size of an average 10- or 11-year-old girl in the United States.

• How does the average American female's height compare to other countries?
  While American women used to be the 4th tallest in the world, they have since fallen to 42nd in line. Latvia, the Netherlands, and Estonia have us beat.

• Is America really getting shorter?
  Technically, American women aren't shrinking; however, they are not getting as tall as they once did. Experts blame this on the health of our society, starting in infancy. Obesity rates are up as women weigh an average of 15 pounds more than 20 years ago.

Weight of the Average Female

• What is the average weight of females aged 20 and over?
  The average female in the U.S. today weighs 168.5 pounds.

• At what age do women weigh the most on average?
  Women tend to gain the most weight between the ages of 50 and 59. This is in comparison to men, who gain weight mostly during their 40s.

• At what age do women start losing the most weight on average?
  As women age, they not only shrink in height, but tend to weigh less too. The biggest drop is between the ages of 70 and 80. The average woman goes from 168.8 pounds to 141.9 pounds.

Fun Facts

• Who is the tallest female in the world?
  The world's tallest woman was Yao Defen from China. She measured 7 feet 7 inches tall, and she died at the age of 40.

• Who is the shortest female in the world?
  The shortest woman in the world is Jyoti Kisanji Amge. She measures just 24.7 inches tall. That's 10 inches shorter than the average American 2-year-old.

Bottom Line

It is in every woman's best interest to eat right and fuel her body with good food. While genes play a large role in a woman's height, how she takes care of her health does too.

Sources and References:

• Anthropometric Reference Data for Children and Adults
  
• eLife
  
• Guinness Book of World Records
  
• Guinness Book of World Records