If you’ve thought about who the shortest person in the world is, you’d be astonished at the answers you would find. Â
Over the course of history, there have been individuals who redefined what it meant to be short. Some of these people were bare inches off the ground, having stopped growing sometime in their infancy.
Finding countries with the shortest people is a bit complicated because most third-world countries do not have accurate data when it comes to things like this.
The results from exhaustive research carried out in countries worldwide have revealed that the smallest people in the world are often found in Southern and Southeast Asia, Latin America, and East Africa.
Here’s a compilation of 10 countries with the shortest people, in no particular order.
1. Madagascar
Officially the Republic of Madagascar and previously known as the Malagasy Republic, Madagascar is an island country in the Indian Ocean. It is approximately 400 kilometers (250 miles) off the coast of East Africa, across the Mozambique Channel.
Madagascar is the world’s second-largest island country. The nation is made up of the Island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Its Capital city is Antananarivo. The official language is Malagasy and French.
Residents of Madagascar are short. The average person in Madagascar is 156.36cm (5 feet 1.56 inches) tall. The average Malagasy man is 161.54cm (5 feet 3.60 inches) tall, while the average Malagasy woman is 151.18cm (4 feet 11.51 inches) tall.
2. Philippines
The Philippines is a country in Southeast Asia. It is situated in the Western Pacific Ocean and consists of about 7,640 islands that are broadly categorized under three main geographical divisions from North to South. The Philippines covers an area of 300,000 km2 (120,000 sq mi) and, as of 2020, had a population of 109 million people, making it the 12th most populous country in the world.
This multinational state has diverse ethnicities and cultures throughout its islands, with official languages being Filipino and English. Manila is the nation’s capital, while the largest city is Quezon City, both lying within the urban area of Metro Manila.
The Filipino man has a medium height of 163.22cm (5 feet 4.25 inches), while the Filipino woman gets to 149.60cm (4 feet 10.89 inches) in length. Generally, a Filipino is 156.41cm (5 feet 1.57 inches) tall.
3. Nepal
Situated in the Himalayas, Nepal is a landlocked country in South Asia. This country includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
Nepal has a diverse geography that features fertile plains, subalpine forested hills, and eight of the ten tallest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. Yet, it is one of the countries with the shortest people.
The ordinary height of a Nepalese person is 156.58cm (5 feet 1.64 inches). The men coast around 162.31cm (5 feet 3.90 inches), while the women reach 150.86cm (4 feet 11.39 inches).
Nepal is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious, and multi-cultural state, with Nepali as the official language. Kathmandu is the nation’s capital and its largest city.
4. Indonesia
Another country with the shortest people in Indonesia. This is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans, consisting of over 17,000 islands.
Indonesia is the world’s largest island country and the 14th largest country by land area, at 1,904,569 square kilometers (735,358 square miles). With more than 270 million people, Indonesia is the 4th most populous country in the world.
This most populous Muslim majority country has men with a normal height of 163.55cm (5 feet 4.39 inches) and women come to 152.79cm (5 feet 0.15 inches). The figures put the general Indonesian height at 158.17cm (5 feet 2.27 inches).
5. Malawi
One more land-landlocked country with mostly short people in Malawi in southeast Africa. Formerly known as Nyasaland, this country spans over 118,484 km2 (45,747 sq mi) and has an estimated population of 19,431,566 (over 19.4 million people) as of January 2021.
Malawi’s name comes from the Maravi, an old name for the Chewa people who inhabit the area. The country is nicknamed ‘The Warm Heart of Africa’ because of the friendly nature of its people.
The regular height of the indigenous people in Malawi is 158.31cm (5 feet 2.32 inches). The men grow to 162.22cm (5 feet 3.86 inches) tall, while the women often stop growing at 154.40cm (5 feet 0.78 inches).
6. Rwanda
At the convergence of the African Great Lakes and East Africa, is the Republic of Rwanda. This country in the Great Rift Valley, is one of the smallest countries on the African mainland. Its capital city is Kigali.
Rwanda is also one of the countries with the shortest people. Rwandans typically grow to 158.73cm (5 feet 2.49 inches.) Rwandan men barely tower at 162.67 (5 feet 4.04 inches), while the women get as far as 158.73cm (5 feet 2.49 inches).
Learn about Kigali, Rwanda – The Emerging Singapore of Africa!
7. India
An additional home to the shortest people in India. Officially the Republic of India, this country in South Asia, is the 2nd most populous country in the world. It is the 7th largest country by land area but boats of having the most populous democracy in the world.
Indians have a normal maximum height of 158.76cm (5 feet 2.50 inches). An adult Indian man ends up at 164.94cm (5 feet 4.93 inches), just as the adult Indian woman comes to 152.58cm (5 feet 0.07 inches) tall.
8. Liberia
Liberia is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone at the Northwest, Guinea at its North, Ivory Coast at its East, and the Atlantic Ocean at its Southwest.
With its capital and largest city being Monrovia, Liberia is home to around 5 million people and covers an area of 111,369 square kilometers (43,000 sq mi).
English is the official language of the country but there are over 20 indigenous languages being spoken there. The languages represent the numerous ethnic groups that make up more than 95% of Liberia’s population.
This country also has a very high population of short persons. The usual height of the regular Liberian is 159.66cm (5 feet 2.85 inches). The male adults stretch out at 163.66cm (5 feet 4.43 inches), as the females make it to 155.66cm (5 feet 1.28 inches).
9. Peru
In the Western part of South America, locked by Ecuador and Colombia in the North and Chile in the South, is Peru.
This country also shares its borders with Brazil in the East, Bolivia in the Southeast, and the Pacific Ocean in the Southwest.
Peru is a megadiverse country with habitats ranging from the arid plains of the Pacific coastal region in the West to the peaks of the Andes mountains, which extend from the North to the Southeast of the country.
With a land mass of 1.28 million km2 (0.5 million mi2), Peru is the 19th largest country globally and the 3rd largest in South America.
Like the others before it on the list, this exotic country is home to a large number of short people. The standard height of a Peruvian is 159.08cm (5 feet 2.63 inches). The men grow to a reasonable height of 165.23cm (5 feet 5.05 inches) and the women follow suit at 152.93cm (5 feet 0.21 inches).
10. Cambodia
Back to the Asian continent, we have Cambodia as the last on the list. This country is located in the Southern part of the Indo-Chinese Peninsula of Southeast Asia.
It is 181,035 square kilometres (69,898 square miles) in area, bordered by Thailand to the Northwest, Laos to the Northeast, Vietnam to the East, and the Gulf of Thailand to the Southwest.
Cambodia is also one of the countries with the shortest people. Cambodians usually have a decent average height of 158.11cm (5 feet 2.24 inches). The men can be 163.32cm (5 feet 4.30 inches) tall, while the women get as far as 152.90 (5 feet 0.19 inches) tall.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who is the shortest human in the world?
The shortest human in the world is Chandra Bahadur Dangi. At a height of 54.6cm which translates to 1ft 9 ½ inches, Dangi is the world’s smallest human ever recorded.
- Can short people model?
There are short people in the modeling industry but, there are height requirements for you to be a high fashion model. However, outside the high fashion world, there are short people who can be signed to a modeling agency as long as they know their strengths and weaknesses.
- Which country has the shortest people?
When ranking the shortest people by country, an island country located in Southeast Asia called Timor-Leste would come first. The typical height of the inhabitants of this country is 5ft 1.28 inches.
- Who are the shortest people in the NBA?
At a height of 5ft 3 inches, Tyrone Curtis ‘Muggsy’ Bogues is the shortest person in NBA history. Closely followed by Earl Antoine Boykins who is measured at 5ft 5 inches. At 5ft 9 inches, Calvin Murphy takes third place.
- How tall is the shortest woman?
The shortest woman in the world is Jyoti Amge. At 26 years old, she is 63cm tall and holds the Guinness World Record for the shortest living woman.
- Which race has the tallest height?
Dutch people are the world’s tallest people. The standard height of Dutchmen is 5 feet 7.96 inches while the women tower at 5 feet 6.42 inches.
- Do short people live longer?
There have been multiple studies regarding this but on average, it has been found that shorter people live longer. Short people have been seen to resist certain diseases like cancer and as such can expect to live longer lives.