How South Koreans got so much taller

Humans have gotten a lot taller in the past 100 years - and South Korea shows us why
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A century ago, humans were quite short. For example, the average South Korean woman was about 4-foot-7, or 142 centimeters, while the average American woman was about 5-foot-2, or 159 centimeters. Humans were fairly short by today’s standards, and that was true throughout nearly all of human history.
But in the past century, human heights have skyrocketed. Globally, humans grew about 3 inches on average, but in South Korea, women grew an astounding 8 inches and men grew 6 inches.
South Korea is a unique example. In the early part of the 20th century, South Korea was a poor and hungry country. But drastic economic growth fueled improved living conditions.
For example, in 1961 the country’s food supply was about ​​2,100 calories per person; by 2013, each person had about 1,200 additional calories available, according to data from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. UN data also shows that in 1950, about 20 percent of South Korean infants died before age 1, but now it’s about 0.2 percent.
However, South Korea’s improved living conditions are a harsh contrast to North Korea. For half of the 20th century, the south and north were one country. Heights in those two regions were nearly identical. So what happened to human height in North Korea after an authoritarian regime took over and closed off its borders?
More reading:
A Farewell to Alms: A Brief Economic History of the World, by economist Gregory Clark, beautifully connects economic conditions to human living conditions: www.amazon.com...
This Scientific American article by molecular biologist Chao-Qiang Lai breaks down the research on how much of human height can be attributed to genetics and how much is environmental: www.scientific...
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization has some of my favorite data sets. Understanding what humans eat - and how that’s changed over time - gives us insights into everything from economics to biodiversity: www.fao.org/fa...
There are many data sets on human heights over time, but the one I used in this video is from the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration: ncdrisc.org/
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[@BryanLee]

As a 6'0" Korean American raised in the middle class, and the son of 5'5" Korean parents raised in war-torn conditions, I feel this.

[@tiacho2893]

My parents grew up knowing food insecurity (they sometimes still act like it living in Canada). They are going to visit Korea next month. Their birth country was one of scarcity and is now the country where you can get a bowl of jajangmyeon delivered to your door in under 30 minutes and beef (previously only for special occasions) is now just normal.

[@SamaelMoneyStein]

You only got that way because of the steroids and hormones in our food America democracy amirite

[@mrwong8584]

@@SamaelMoneyStein

[@parufy]

@@mrwong8584 pretty sure they were being profusely sarcastic

[@CatcherOfBass]

Same

[@Greentrees60]

I am a millenial white woman who loved in south Korea for a year. I was taller than almost all of the men in older generations, and shorter than most of the young men - it is VERY noticeable .

[@jayd4332]

I'm a 5.7 28yo Korean man. Me and my fellow aged guys often realize how tall kids in school these days are. 😅Women got really taller either. I know there are still fair amount of short people but you know, taller people are more noticable. Ironically though I read that Korean men average hight peaked at few years ago and is decreasing. Dunno why and even if it is true but, that's what I read. I think Korean people now need to do more exercise than talking about nutrition. We're not spending our time enough to things like running wiehgt traning... It's common cultural phenomenon in eastern asian countries though. And we are already overnutrited like any other average people in developed countreis. I think it's impossible to be more taller and fitter like norther european people if we keep our lifestyle like this. Well, it's often said asains are skinnier and less muscular. That's true. Some of its factor is genetic things but I think it's majorly because of lack of excersice. (Not talking about American bulk standared because it's steroids)

[@Daebak0000]

I can't stop thinking that Korean's have this agenda for everyone to think they are naturally tall. But in reality in past decades they have been working and serious about improving their younger generation's height. They are serious about improving their country and people which is great because they became very superior and respected, something that is really important for them. It is very noticeable how they raise their younger generation. Looks, talent, skills and how to act and speak. They know it all at a very young age. And while most countries are obsessed with Korea nowadays, Korea continues to improve themselves. Older generations give their best for their younger generations. I hope we all learn something from Korea. It is important to start with ourselves.

[@secularsekai8910]

In one word: Nutrition

[@VyniSxHD]

In one word: Starvation.

[@thereisnothingthere]

And genetics,

[@Bugneedfix]

In North Korea: Sanctions.

[@chingfool-no-matter]

G.I

[@RavagHer]

nutrition isnt gonna make u 7ft if both ur parent and grandparents are around 5ft 6in

[@LiahYoo]

Really appreciate the mix of medias to present the data!

[@Lumiobyte]

@Zaydan Alfariz fax

[@RollerBladingSuxs]

The data is flawed since most wear shoe lifts.

[@adrianoribeiro1449]

Amazing production.

[@Sarah-lx6kr]

@Zaydan Alfariz 😊 oh

[@andymoran8367]

Their delivery of the y axis adjustment at 0:52 was so cheeky

[@jjn6914]

I recall reading a historical text where Koreans were referred to as the "tall Northerners" by the Japanese. So, it seems historically Koreans were relatively tall compared to neighboring populations, and the shorter stature may be attributed to modern wartime conflict, trauma, and malnutrition starting in the late 19th to late 20th centuries.

[@Kim-tb9wu]

And historically, Koreans called Japanese “short guys” (왜). When Japan invaded in 16th century, Korean navy soldiers called Japanese soldiers “small people”

[@strugglinggamerzone3399]

@@Kim-tb9wu what's the height difference between average Korean & Japanese men ?

[@가니메데]

​@@strugglinggamerzone3399 a little less than 1 inch and 3/4 or about 4 cm

[@strugglinggamerzone3399]

@@가니메데 Thanks but 4cm is more than 1 inch 💫.

[@altitude4020]

​@@strugglinggamerzone3399 Went all around Asia last year. Korea felt the same as America to me when I went while I felt tall in other countries. I'm 5'11 for reference.

[@intreoo]

What’s fascinating is that you can still see the effects of this in modern South Korea. Some subway cars in South Korea were produced in the 1980s and are still in operation today, but the seats are rather small and tight for modern South Koreans. The growth of South Koreans physically over the decades meant that South Koreans also outgrew most infrastructure built around that specific time.

[@aprilm9551]

That is fascinating. And I'm learning as much from the comments as from the original video. : )

[@dxcSOUL]

Great insight!

[@gianmarco21lp]

It’s everything interesting. But, well… sometimes being too big is not that good, it seems, hehe

[@simpleidindeed]

I usually don't sit and just keep standing in subway.

[@jakesmithdigital]

If you look at the latest Statista study of South Korean males. They are 5ft8 average and have gotten shorter for the last 3 generations...

[@lifthras11r]

Fun fact: South Korean military conscription means that we have a very thorough data about men's height distribution among others. The average draft was 172.0 cm (5' 7.7") tall in 2000 and 174.0 cm (5' 8.5") tall in 2020.

[@user-rh6ru5oz2o]

You made a 6 minute video just to say nutrition is associated with growth?

[@Hiroakiarai88]

​@@user-rh6ru5oz2o that they did. Hip hip hooray

[@GameFuMaster]

@@user-rh6ru5oz2o yeah, I was like "food", before I even watched it. But the data presented was interesting

[@barryallen871]

​@@user-rh6ru5oz2oThis person you are replying to, made this video??

[@barryallen871]

That fact isn't fun at all.

[@EnnuinerDog]

I lived in South Korea for quite awhile and it's something you notice right away. Old people are short and hunched over and many have thinning hair due to malnutrition early in their lives. Meanwhile, it's not strange for junior high school boys to be over 5'10.

[@techboy8330]

over 5'10" what's the avg height according to you?

[@EnnuinerDog]

@@techboy8330 5'9" or 5'10" (in Canada anyway) but these were boys in grade 7-9 so they would be taller by high school. Meanwhile most older men in Korea are much shorter than that. The gap is really noticeable.

[@maynardlim7812]

@@EnnuinerDog it holds true in Hong Kong as well. Young teenagers these days are around 5-10 already.

[@jasons5916]

It's similar in Japan. The young people are much taller on average than the older population.

[@leigh7507]

tbf the young ones will have thinning hair in their 60s unless they get a hair tranplsnt or wear a wig

[@JoeyXSmith]

The same thing happened in England. If go to old village that still has it old tutor houses/cottages in the village. You see how small the doors used to be.

[@alberthusby113]

Same in norway. I went to an airbnb which was in an 1800s cottage. door went to my shoulders haha

[@JohnnyWishbone85]

There's definitely an element of height, but don't forget there was no building code and people wanted to save on materials.

[@alberthusby113]

@@JohnnyWishbone85 ah yeah fair.

[@bookllama8158]

Tudor

[@NaviRyan]

I went to Italy average Canadian height 5.9’ and was shocked that the Roman coliseum stairs were so shorts/ warped. While a lot of older Italians only made it up to my chest.

[@oceanstaiga5928]

As someone who was very sick and in hospital during my first years of puberty I didn’t grow near as tall as my brother and am shorter than both parents. I always assume it was because my body was busy with other things than growing. It’s very interesting to see how external factors impact height like this. Especially nutrition.

[@empressmarowynn]

I grew up with a set of twins and while in middle school one got severe appendicitis. It got so badly infected that he was in and out of the hospital for two years. He was healthy again by age 15. But as a result once they reached their early 20's the one was several inches shorter and much thinner. You can tell they're brothers but no one knows they're twins anymore whereas previously it was almost impossible to tell them apart. Nutrition and health can have a huge effect.

[@sumayyahadetunmbi4347]

yeah

[@HinataPlusle]

@@empressmarowynn I knew a set of twins, one of which got their amygdala removed. Before that, they were virtually indistinguishable by looks, but after that the one that got it became a bit taller and gained a ton of weight. He also ended up balding much earlier than the other. Unfortunately, he passed away due to COVID-19 (certainly in no small part due to said extra weight), so we'll never really know where life would take each of them, but how such a seemingly minor intervention made them with major differences was and still is impressive.

[@JMBBrasil]

Same thing happened to me

[@maplesams5692]

As a Korean Canadian who immigrated at the age of 4, I can confirm my dad’s dad was 166 cm, my dad is 173 cm and me being raised in a privileged environment, I’m 184cm (6’0”). Its really cool to see the increase in height down the generation.

[@ByGriPhone]

184 cm is 6 feet, not 6'1

[@ukashk1071]

@@ByGriPhone 6 feet is 183cms

[@sbellaharris]

let's come back here and report your kids' height in 20 years

[@techboy8330]

@@ByGriPhone bro 184 cm is 0.5 inches more than 6'0"

[@maplesams5692]

Sorry didn’t bother looking up conversions from metric to imperial 💁🏻‍♂️

[@mistyblue2917]

I can send this to my parents, who never stop marvelling at how "giant" the younger generations are these days, every time they visit Korea 😊

[@jakesmithdigital]

If you look at the latest Statista study of South Korean males. They are 5ft8 average and have gotten shorter for the last 3 generations...

[@mistyblue2917]

@@jakesmithdigital that's strange.. bc every time we visit and see many, many ppl in the streets and subways, the younger generations are getting remarkably taller in general.. both males and females.

[@mistyblue2917]

@@jakesmithdigital and they definitely have not been getting * shorter* for the last 3 generations.. photographic evidence from around the world including Korea show that people were generally much shorter in the 1800s and early-1900s.. i thought this was common knowledge

[@mistyblue2917]

@@jakesmithdigital Furthermore, the purported average height of 5'8 that you mentioned instantly sounded off to me, based on what I've personally witnessed w my own peepers. 5'8 average would be plausible for 2 or even 1 generation back, but i was in Seoul last year for 5 months and saw plenty of young Koreans in the city everyday, who easily hit or surpassed 6' (males)', which would certainly bring up the average compared to the past 3 generations.. and also even saw a good number of females who were in the 5'8 - 5'10 range, last year. I occasionally also saw extremely tall young women who were easily 6' and built like wrestlers, which always surprised me as i literally never saw any women like that in Korea even only 10 years back. However, just like how tall ppl like Abraham Lincoln existed even in the 1800s when ppl were generally shorter than today, even in my own family, my maternal grandmother/aunt/cousins are very tall, and my paternal grandmother and aunt are also tall. Both my grandmothers were born in the 1930s.

[@mistyblue2917]

@Jake Smith I searched Statista and the auto-fill suggestions were along the lines of questioning Sta.tista's credibility.. the second result was a fact-checking site that states: "Sta.tista's policies undermine the integrity of research and data and contribute to the flood of bad statistics and dubious surveys you read in the media." So... yeah.

[@YKDDS91]

And it's continuing. I'm a South Korean man whow as born in 1989. I am 6'1-ish (186cm). I was usually in the tallest top few people in my entire class. I visited Korea for the first time in 10 years last year and man, the new generation of kids are even taller, I didn't even stand out.

[@kawazaki23]

I am from Somalia born in the Netherlands I am 1.90 cm without shoes and I still see people taller then me I wonder how tall someone has to be to be seen has giant I hope to grow more inshallah

[@jakesmithdigital]

If you look at the latest Statista study of South Korean males. They are 5ft8 average and have gotten shorter for the last 3 generations...

[@oceanrocks]

@@jakesmithdigitalKorean Americans tend to be taller

[@HH-kg4fq]

I noticed that, too.

[@RickJaeger]

​@@kawazaki23At 1.90 cm, it's no wonder, lol

[@rudcjftnrh1]

As a South Korean, this video is very touching. In fact, if you're a young adult born in the 1980s or 1990s, you'll generally feel taller than your parents. My father was born in 1959, belongs to the baby boomer generation and is 167 centimeters tall, which was not very short at the time and was close to the average. On the other hand, I, born in 1980s, a little above the average, and I don't feel too big for myself, but nevertheless, when I go to places with many seniors, I can feel a clear difference in height and feel like I've become a Gulliver in a small country. Born in the 1930s-1940s, who experienced colonial times and civil war with North Korea, the grandparents' generation is much smaller, with women less than 150 cm and men less than 160 cm. Among the many countries in the world, few countries have as big a gap in physical/mental/cultural as Korea. In Korea, the younger you are, the bigger you are, the higher the education level, and the more sophisticated you are. On the contrary, the older you are, the smaller you are, the lower your education level, and the more anachronistic you are. For young people in Korea, the elderly are 'people who are smaller than me in every way'. The colonial experience (first half of the 20th century), the disastrous civil war (1940s-1950s), rapid economic growth (1960s-1970s), the democratic revolution (1980s), and the restructuring of semiconductor and Internet-oriented industries (1990s-2000s) put the country on the cutting edge of world technology, which remained traditional East Asian agricultural society until just 100 years ago. This led to a significant generation gap, both materially and mentally. You can enjoy K-pop and high-technology postmodern dystopia in Korea, but at the same time, you can also experience feudal dystopia, reminiscent of Louis XIV or Victorian times in Europe.

[@Raazaaaaa]

A comment this long needs a short video of its own 😝

[@barryallen871]

​@@shabira_4_hollandyet you wasted your time making this reply, and most likely read the other replies for "inspiration". 🤦 Maybe you should read more.

[@probablynot1368]

I enjoyed the lengthy comment; very educational.

[@prestok]

Thanks for taking the time to write this comment, it was very instructional. Ignore people telling you off.

[@MM-jf1me]

Very insightful comment. It saddens me to read that younger people consider their elders "smaller than them in every way" as when I was watching this video I kept thinking how amazingly grateful I would be to my elders were I a younger South Korean: the previous generations worked so hard to build up the economy and infrastructure that South Korea has today to enable such quick prosperity. On the other side of the coin, your comment reminded me how as each generation becomes better educated, it's very easy for us to see our elders as ignorant and perhaps grow a bit disdainful of their ignorance. It seems natural to appreciate the older generations while also finding them very annoying on a personal, everyday level.

[@evelynlgy]

I cried after watching this video. It makes me feel so privileged and blessed to be living in a place where i have good access to sanitation and healthy food. My mom used to tell me that when she was a child, it wasn’t easy to get food and sometimes she would feel hungry, especially in school. Thank you for sharing this video.

[@jakesmithdigital]

If you look at the latest Statista study of South Korean males. They are 5ft8 average and have gotten shorter for the last 3 generations...

[@jrpotter9659]

When I lived in South Korea I was surprised at how tall they were. I had spent the two years prior in Japan and couldn't help but notice how much shorter they were on average than Americans and kind of expected South Korea to be similar. Boy was I wrong!

[@ukashk1071]

Lol

[@ganganbam]

​@@Jurk844Japan is very much more muscular than Korea instead. That is the effect of mixing with Jomon people.

[@rockugotcha]

@JuriK Really? Jomon guy looks strong and has a thick beard.

[@brutallyhonest3529]

@@ganganbam I a Korean women are bulkier than a frail Japanese man 😅

[@realAlexChoi]

@JuriK Koreans and Japanese both seem to be around the same skinniness on average from my experience, with Koreans being a couple inches taller.

[@slimshadychristopher]

The use of different medium, presentation, editing, production you guys do is phenomenal. It's like it's made to be as sleek as possible yet fully digestible by the viewer. Bravo.

[@hafizuddinmohdlowhim8426]

So by genetic South Korean is already tall but due to war time, they were shorter and now they are getting taller again. Genetic is interesting.

[@yuchan063]

In the records of the Joseon Dynasty (15c-19c), it was always recorded that the northern part of Korea was taller. If North Korea's nutritional situation improves, they will grow taller than South Koreans.

[@golbinnom]

What a shame I would probably not get to witness this happen in my lifetime

[@caseinnitrate32]

I'm curious to know if South Koreans are still getting taller because from some of the comments here about Middle Schoolers, I feel like they still are

[@김태형-y2k]

​@@caseinnitrate32 네 한국에서는 군대에가기전 신체검사를 하는데 22년 최근자료에는 174.1로 계속커지고있습니다

[@개고기수프]

Because North Korea has more genes from the North Chinese and Goguryeo people, while South Korea has more genes similar to the Japanese. North China is the highest region in East Asia. Because North China is not an independent country that South Korea becomes the highest country in East Asia.😅

[@tatjana7008]

@@개고기수프 I did 23andme, no Chinese / Korean genes in my ancestry. But strange Scandinavian one, while noone is white in my family

[@ganmerlad]

I know the answer to this without watching. It's "food". I went through this in real time in Ireland. I moved there in the early 90's, and most people were quite short (compared to what I was used to as an American), and old people were particularly short. I could always find my 6'4" husband in a large crowd just glancing around, he was always the tallest one there. 10 years later, I couldn't find him anymore just by swiveling my head...there were too many tall people in the way. Everyone shot up in height because diets had radically changed.

[@syedlam9632]

Dutch be like while watching this: 👀

[@star24ize]

they gotta tell us their secrets

[@aishikamitra]

Thanks for answering the question that was in the back of my mind. Why do you think there's an exception for South Korea while the average Japanese or Singaporean person still remains short? And, why isn't the height growth seen in the affluent of other Asian countries?

[@designyk]

That’s because their ancestors originated from different regions in east Asia. Usually, people who settled in north side were taller than people from south since northern people were basically nomadic (hunter and gatherer) and they ate far more meat than others.

[@star24ize]

yea japanese seems to be a weird case they're developed and wealthy for a while now. maybe have something to do with their eating habit. singapore is like 75% han chinese and 25% malay/indian so maybe that's why on average they're shorter, but when comparing to its surrounding se asian neighbours they're still taller. maybe due to them being wealthier or just more east asian gene

[@emilychoi2290]

theres a theory with japanese people that its the way they sit or the way a lot of traditional things like clothes or nutrition that hinders some growth - but not sure if i buy it entirely!

[@菼]

Northern Chinese and Koreans are generally taller than Southern Chinese (from which the majority of Singaporeans are descended) and Japanese.

[@ETin6666]

@@designyk Japanese are more closely related to koreans than koreans are to han-chinese. It's down to high quality protein intake - which the japanese still lack surprisingly. Poor protein intake is still an issue over there. And I'm guessing it's the same for the singaporeans as well.

[@CallsignJoNay]

I just happen to be travelling in S.Korea right now, and I can attest to the average height of the people here. I'm used to being the tallest person in a room when I travel in Asia, but I feel pretty average height here.

[@OliverNorth9729]

What is your height?

[@CallsignJoNay]

@@OliverNorth9729 5'10"

[@OliverNorth9729]

@@CallsignJoNay You're asian/korean?

[@CallsignJoNay]

@Oliver North I'm white. From Canada. Just travelling here for a few weeks.

[@히피1]

I’m Korean, 5’11” (180cm) born in 1994, and I was taller than many others in Korea 10 years ago. But with Gen Z guys, I’m just like slightly upper than the average. Too many 6 feet guys right now.

[@Elmareste]

This is true. Most koreans are taller and have higher academic degree than their parents in results of rapid economy growth.

[@kylefisher1458]

one of my good friends is from South Korea and he has this great photo of him, his grandfather and father. His grandfather immigrated to Canada during the Korean War and he is 5'0, his father who was raised in Canada is 5'6" and my friend is 6'2"

[@MaxIronsThird]

Were the mothers all Korean though?

[@kylefisher1458]

@@MaxIronsThird yes they are

[@MM-vs2et]

That's cool, but he is tall not for the same reasons South Korean mainlanders are taller now. His family moved to Canada, an already high-income country even in the 50s. South Koreans got taller because of heavy industrialisation that brought a lot of money into the country, bolstering its nutrition through government programs and incentives. I saw some people with the wrong takeaway from this video because of the "height is 80% genetics and 20% external" tidbit, and so they assume that South Koreans are just naturally taller because of their genetics. But the 80% is fixed, as in you will be at least 80% as tall as your parents, and the 20%'s biggest variable is nutrition. So, height is mostly still nutrition because you can't change your genes anyways, so why bother.

[@mariamart_0]

Most South Koreans are very tall especially the women so me of them are either 5’6-5’9 (1.67-1.77.2)

[@mariamart_0]

Don’t forget about Korean actresses from those Netflix Drama’s

[@ariesfairy4444]

this is soo interesting. i knew height was all about genetics but i didn’t realize how much ur environment plays a role in that. it was interesting to see the real life example of this with his mom and grandma too! very well done video :)

[@mhm6]

key takeaway - if you wanna grow, you need food. Genetics plays a huge part but you will not grow if there is nothing to help fuel that growth.

[@jakesmithdigital]

If you look at the latest Statista study of South Korean males. They are 5ft8 average and have gotten shorter for the last 3 generations...

[@zachmiller9189]

I lived in Japan for 2 years before going to Korea. I thought I was going to tower over most people in Korea as I did in Japan (I'm 6'2"). Boy was I wrong. Most younger people in Korea are about the same height as people in the US. I was very surprised.

[@nikolstirland6599]

I went to Panmunjeom on the border between North/South Korea a few years ago and was interested to see the obvious difference in height between the North and South Korean soldiers.

[@joyofsinging3135]

In 1930s, the Japanese government carried out a survey of people’s height by provinces nationwide. At that time, the Korean Peninsula was occupied by the Japanese, so the Koreans’ heights were surveyed, too. At that time, the average height in Hamgyongbukdo (North Korea) was the tallest and Choongchungnamdo (South Korea) was the shortest in the Korean Peninsula, and Choonchungnamdo’s average height was 3 centimeter higher than that of the tallest Provence in Japanese archipelago. But after the Korean War, Japanese average height became taller than Koreans, and this situation continued until the 70’s. Currently, South Koreans’ average height is the tallest in East Asia, and North Koreans’ the shortest.

[@andrewhampton2644]

I'm 6 foot and I live in Korea. I think many people would be shocked by the amount of middle schoolers or high schoolers I see that are a few inches taller than me. Sometimes I don't even notice how young they are until I see their face.

[@ro6470]

This also tells us that Korean food has very balanced nutrition.

[@azj_]

Yeah it suprise to me when I saw South Korea player's at FIFA World Cup have a same height like western player, I thought they were short, but basically they way more taller than I expected.

[@불루재이]

5 foot 7 Korean raised in Canada here. Went to Korea and was shocked by how tall everyone was.

[@jakesmithdigital]

If you look at the latest Statista study of South Korean males. They are 5ft8 average and have gotten shorter for the last 3 generations...

[@불루재이]

@@jakesmithdigital ok Jake Smith 👍

[@cab06215]

요즘은 여자들도 5‘7 넘는 사람 많은 듯… 한국인들 뭘 먹었길래 키가 그렇게 큰지 참… 슬프네용ㅠ

[@johnyoung823]

Isn’t it also because many Koreans middle class and up take growth hormone shots? It’s extremely popular - many pediatrician offices administer them. Adding 1-3 inches to final height.

[@jerm_]

@@jakesmithdigitalyouve been commenting this on every reply are you okay sir

[@NursultanSovetov-g6r]

why Japanese are not tall as S.Koreans? They had better conditins and more food supplies. Why their womens approximately 164 and mens 170?

[@dltmdwnfkdldjs]

Genetics

[@さとうさかあた]

Let's get rid of the inferiority complex that makes us compare ourselves to Japan in everything.

[@michaellim4165]

In Japan, I can see the other end of the subway car. In South Korea, I can't do that.

[@aeolia80]

I lived in Korea for 5 years, when you look at the generations first hand it’s blatantly obvious, better nutrition starting from a young age, I mean my god have you seen their school lunches that are publicly funded?!! I’m 168cm, I was always asked before I moved there if I’d be ok standing out among all these “short” people, then I got there and not only was I kinda average height there TONS of people much taller than me, men and women alike, a lot of colleagues included. The women were always frustrated that the shoe sizes for women never went above a US women’s size 8 (Korean size 250)

[@keithmoh1]

Western perceptions of Asia are always like 40 years back.

[@maplecake]

Those lunches are A+. The schools that I taught in all had grandmas making those lunches for the kids and, by god, I've never been so well-fed (outside of my own grandmas' houses ofc)

[@tiacho2893]

@@maplecake I think South Korea and similar countries around the world (like Scandinavian countries) realised that if a government does what it can to make a child's life better (nutrition and education), you tend to have an adult population that is not f'ed up. No kid learns when they haven't eaten.

[@edwardkim8972]

​@@tiacho2893 korean parents and family structures are strong too.

[@tiacho2893]

@@edwardkim8972 Granted. But I was thinking of countries (like the UK) where the attitude was "the poor will always be with us so what's the point of educating poor children". The USA is like that right now where a sizeable percentage of "taxpayers" do not see the value of a robustly funded school nutrition program.

[@-SP.]

I read a paper that explored the link between protein intake and height. In conclusion there does seem to be some correlation, especially in developing countries. There was also another study that looked at Japan pre-WW2, and post, they found that in a 30 year time period, the average height increased by 3 inches for men, most likely due increased fish consumption. So while nutrition plays a role in height developed, based on studies high quality proteins might be a more specific cause

[@deeznuts2416]

Makes sense as the the tallest average people are from northern/eastern europe, and their diet is mostly meat.

[@-SP.]

@@deeznuts2416 Yes some other examples are the heights of urban citizens in China vs rural, where people in cities often eat more meat as they have higher standards of living. Then there is India, where the state of Punjab has a ton of people over the height of 6ft but the men in almost every other state only average around 5'5. Punjab also happens to be an agricultural state where they produce and drink a lot of milk, and haven abundant access to food unlike other states. In the Netherlands a lot of milk and cheese is consumed, which is believed to be one of the reasons for having the highest average height, despite the fact that people in Bosnia actually have the height increasing gene in larger quantities. Bosnia is a poor country, so their lack of high quality proteins would explain why they haven't overtaken the Netherlands in height yet.

[@ciello___8307]

@@-SP. i'm sure diet helps achieve your potential, but some people's genetics will ultimately set a limit. Not everyone is going to be 6.0ft plus, no matter how well they eat

[@-SP.]

@@ciello___8307 That's true. They say 80% of your height is genetic, but the other 20% can be changed, which can be the difference between 5'5 and 5'9

[@socialite5813]

I was asking this very questions when I noticed how tall the younger people were when I visited South Korea. Thank you for answer that question. Makes perfect sense.

[@anon-zq2jc]

The Chinese will claim that the Northern Chinese are the tallest people in Asia, both in the historical perspective and in the present day. But in fact, these people are not ethnically Chinese (Han Chinese), these people are Manchurian and Korean Chinese and so on. And genetically, The Koreans and Manchurians are the closest ethnic groups in the region, as these people lived together for a long time in the same country called Goguryeo, Balhae, Buyeo.

[@개고기수프]

None of this has changed even a hundred years ago. At that time, the Korean Peninsula was the Japanese colony, and later the Japanese also invaded Manchuria and North China. According to Japanese surveys, Han Chinese are ahead of Koreans, Mongolians and Japanese in height, weight, chest circumference and lung capacity. Research by physical anthropologists in Western countries is the same. Northern Chinese are about 167cm, southern Chinese (Cantonese) are about 162cm, and Koreans are the same height as southern Chinese.😅

[@leoyuanluo]

U do know that China has and always been a federation of diverse ethnicities right(even Han, or way before, is a dynasty composed of many tribes from west north east)? Hence, the descendants of yan and huang emperor, and even that is a mass consolidation of numerous tribes of the region near the water source(Currently 50)

[@팝송용계정-d4g]

​@@leoyuanluo 90% of population of China is still Mandarin.

[@PaulAllen6304]

Happy for the Koreans, as an Indian. We too have great potential for height, but sadly enough, the average height in the country is lowering. A lot, I mean a lot of children are stunted due to extreme conditions of living. It's still impressive that even under such conditions, our national average is 5'7. Recent data even shows, the height of average 'Urban middleclass' 19 yo has become 5'9-5'10, and I feel that too. And NRIs often grow to 6ft. But sadly, the overall average is on a decline, since the majority of our countrymen are poor. This extreme height difference is kinda like North Korea vs South Korea situation, except that it's in one single country

[@techboy8330]

yeah most of the teens in india middle class are like avg 5'9""-5'10" and even in the US the avg of college boys is like 5'11". So yea I believe the avg for boys is 5'10" with 6'0" being the upper limit (consider Netherlands, and a few other countries with an avg of 6'0" , the Scandinavian countries , bosnia etc...)

[@randmht9976]

Same bro , the main cause is lack of protein & sanitation. 😭😭😭 I'm 5'10 and I'm the tallest on my family from both side (mother & father ).

[@jasonk.-im6od]

May God bless India.

[@randmht9976]

@@jasonk.-im6od thank you .

[@1525boy]

Indian-American here. You are wrong about the average height in India today. For men it's 5'4"-5'5" and for women its 5"1'.

[@joshL28]

This sorta explains how I came out to be 5’10” despite my parents both being around 5’3”.

[@milliyetci5672]

you should do a dna test then.

[@oceanrocks]

my later brother was also 5’10, seems like korean guys are 5’10 on average, with some being 6’0 or above

[@p.spataru]

It's pretty funny how most people consider the younger generations to be always taller than the older ones. For intstance, my paternal grandfather was 174 cm tall (5'7), my dad is 168 cm tall (5'5) and I'm 163 cm tall (5'3), even though the quality of life steadily improved during these times.

[@ellomate..]

that’s super unlucky i feel for you, i’m taller than my dad and grandpa. exact situation in this video.

[@minaolenella869]

maybe the pollution increased?

[@bolasblancas420]

We are talking statistics here… not single instances.

[@p.spataru]

@@minaolenella869 only until the '90s, after that it decreased because the main polluters went bankrupt

[@inuhundchien6041]

I understand. Nowadays kids eat too much junkfood and don't excercise

[@kitu260]

I heard somewhere, but I remember hearing that the coldness of the Korean Peninsula had an effect. Such as Northern Europe or Russia.

[@Avraine13]

Yeah this. In China, the northern regions generally have taller people too. Probably some scientific reasoning behind this.

[@benkraze3103]

It has nothing to do with weather. If you look those from South East Asian countries, their new generations are getting taller too, not as tall as the koreans, but it just getting started.

[@FERDI-f6n]

​@@benkraze3103can you share what countries in SEA specifically?.this is interesting

[@bl1zz4rd25]

​​@@FERDI-f6n Philippines is an example . It's common to see 6 footers in Senior High and even High School ! A factor is that some Filipinos have European and Chinese genetics ( Some Malay looking Filipinos are tall and can reach 6 ) In my hometown ( A developing province in Bicol Region ) it is quite common to see teenagers between 5,7-5,10 this includes my 5,10 cousin and 5,11 nephew .😅

[@grannygrammar6436]

All those children made advances, not "advancements," in height. Better nutrition and vaccination are advancements. An inch is an advance. Yer Granny luvs ya.

[@kek209]

I have noticed this within my own family from india. The young people today are much taller then their parents and grandparents.

[@8polyglot]

My Korean husband (b. 1991) and I were talking about how recently Gen Z guys and younger in Korea, it's shocking how many of them are 6ft and taller. They keep getting taller and taller lol

[@MaxIronsThird]

The Korean lineage is mixed with people from the north(Russia), that's explains why they grow pretty well when they have enough to eat.

[@sann5146]

I hope it stops somewhere, sheesh. 7ft tall humans aren't exactly aesthetically pleasing.

[@jakesmithdigital]

If you look at the latest Statista study of South Korean males. They are 5ft8 average and have gotten shorter for the last 3 generations...

[@MaxIronsThird]

@@jakesmithdigital Yeah, Korean society might be the most vain of the 21st century, so the only people that are chosen to become famous need to be tall and good looking, which skews perception.

[@Jiu_zule]

@@MaxIronsThirdaverage height for men in Russia is 1.75 it's the same as in south Korea lol

[@joycea.7332]

I envy koreans because of their height. And I heard they also don't have body odor like other people, deodorants are rare.

[@handcreamcake]

Indeed. When I saw the deodorant first time in my life at the age of 21 in the store like watsons or olive young, I thought it was a perfume that should be used on wrist and near the neck after taking a shower.

[@Scriabin_fan]

Japan is and was wealthier than South Korea, it's interesting that they haven't grown as much as South Koreans.

[@mocococo7178]

As a Korean I can relate, all the males in my family are over 6 feet, the tallest is 6'4

[@陈宇巽]

Facts. My parents were born in the 70s and they are both 5'4''. I grew to 6'2'' and ate as much in two decades as they had in their first three

[@toolbaggers]

Let's hope that South Koreans don't continue this trend up to America's height plateaux where the extra 'nutrition' transitions to exponential horizontal growth.

[@Zoa-pd7dk]

150 years ago, Dutch men were 165 centimeters tall. This is according to a team of researchers from Sweden. Korean men were 162 centimeters tall at the time. Men in Japan and China were 155 centimeters tall. The last 100 years have been difficult for Koreans, with invasions and wars. Economic development has led to better nutrition and height growth.

[@soniaprado3605]

I can see the effects good nutrition has on a person's height within my own family, my oldest sister (10 years older than me) and I are basically carbon copies, but I'm 2" taller. She remembers a lot of nights going to bed hungry, our parents were very young and were trying to make a life for themselves. By the time I arrived, we were fairly stablised, I never knew of any lacking or scarcity, I was a very plump child and teenager, I believe my parents were overcompensating from what they were able to offer my sister ^_^'. Long story short, yes, nutrition and an stable and safe environment will do wonders for a person with any genetics.

[@mayowaosibodu]

Hm interesting. The video described a study where environmental factors were noted to influence eventual adult height by up to 1”. I wonder if the entire 2” difference you mention, can be attributed to childhood nutrition. It’ll generally be interesting to know if there’s some sort of upper bound on how much environment can influence height. Eg “Other things being equal, you’ll at most be x” shorter due to lack of proper nutrition, no more..”

[@eugeniabarsukova]

@@mayowaosibodu it was on average though, some people ate better and grew more than others. As for the upper bound, when I was doing sports, we were told that our limit was 15 cm taller than our parents.

[@user-np6lv1oy3e]

Just visited Seoul (South Korea) and my first impressions was.. people here are tall.. anyone knows if South Koreans are the tallest asians among the asia's countries? I will not be surprise.

[@서브3-s9y]

how you tall??

[@udishomer5852]

If you count the middle east as part of Asia (which is correct geographically), Israelis are taller.

[@vincelongman3264]

Just got back from a holiday in Korea. It was surreal to see the height difference between young and older Koreans in person

[@thinkmilitary]

I am a 24-year-old Indonesian man. My height is 184 cm, which is very tall when compared to my father and grandfather. My father is 170 cm tall. while my grandfather is about 155 cm tall. My grandfather was born when our country was colonized by the Dutch. My grandfather told me that when he was a child, he only ate cassava, potatoes, and rice. He never ate meat or drank milk because the colonizers took away all the livestock. Life was very difficult at that time. Meanwhile, my father was born when our country was already independent. But at that time, our family was still poor. But it was better because our family was able to eat chicken and eggs, although not every day. And I was born when our family's economic condition was good. I got enough nutrition. so I could grow tall.

[@MistarZtv]

I had uncles and aunts who lived before the war and during the occupation and after. And yeah the ones who came after were slightly taller. I wonder if hard labor or lots of weight from how people used to live also affects it if people were given the same nutrition.

[@ytn00b3]

That's very rare from Indonesia. Indonesian men are 163.55cm (5 feet 4.39 inches) tall on average. Indonesian women are 152.79cm (5 feet 0.15 inches) tall on average. So far I haven't seen any tall Indonesian man.

[@Jiu_zule]

@@ytn00b3men 163 on average? Is it real

[@nuke___8876]

If you spend just 5 minutes in SK, you'll immediately notice the HUGE difference in height between the 80 year olds and the 20 year olds.

[@user-sd5kh7lr2l]

1. Genetic 2. Nutrition 3. Whether That's it. Don't need jealous.

[@naterlatkdgus]

chinese and japanese watching this video seem to think differently lol

[@Aaron-bh5cp]

​@naterlatkdgus the chinese average height has also drastically improved lately for the same reasons as the Koreans

[@naterlatkdgus]

@@Aaron-bh5cp so it's the result of a survey of all men in their 20s, right? or shut up

[@digitalwolf9582]

When I lived in SKorea 1990 - 1995, as a White guy, I was usually the tallest person on the subway or bus, at 5'10. When I went back in 2000 I wasn't any more.

[@pr.dr.nachtigaller5154]

The video feels incomplete, he didn't clearly answer the question. So nutrition, alright. But why is South Korea specifically popping off so much compared to other first world countries on Europe or Asia?

[@brutallyhonest3529]

Koreans are generally taller, bulkier, and stronger than their neighbours due to genetics. The old are short while the young are growing.

[@ced271]

Metric please

[@Hiyeee]

This is true. When I went to S Korea 3 years ago, all the dudes were SO tall! Like 6'0 plus!

[@iloveicecream127]

Koreans were on the taller side even in the past. If you see pictures of the food that Koreans ate even when Korea was dirt poor you understand that Koreans ate A LOT! If you read texts from Chinese ambassadors they would write how Koreans had endless rice. And now that Korea has the money for nutrients and variety of foods, it’s no wonder Korea grew taller. Japan has different cultures when it comes to food so it makes sense that their increase wasn’t as exponential.

[@christhurman2350]

I believe Koreans are descendants of ancient north East Asians, ancient north Siberians and Mongolians. The height, when they are nourished is similar to many native Americans who share ancestors with Koreans and Japanese. I am mixed Native American/Asiatique and I am 193cm. I have 5 cousins and uncles all between 188cm and 195cm. Men and women. How well you are fed and your daily activities and habits in youth must also affect your ability to reach your height potential. Another note -spine problems run in my family. Also we grow for more years of our life it seems- maybe as many as 22 years for males. I am beginning to just now feel fully grown, height and otherwise at the age of 35.

[@KL4B]

That’s cool’n all but how does this affect Lebron’s Legacy? 🤷‍♂️

[@star24ize]

the usual sterotype of asian is they're short but asian (using referred to east/se asian) covers too large of an area and population and there's too much diversity in it to group them together. east asians are generally taller than se asian and even only in east asian region the northern region (think korea peninsula/northeastern china) ppl are on average much taller.

[@TheSandrozeneger]

Im Indonesian. My Dad is 162cm, I'm 167cm and by youngest brother is 176cm. The more recently you are born, the better nutrition you get. But i dont know about the kids born in late 2000s since they are more exposed to processed food

[@aroundandround]

Seems like a bit too convenient an explanation. Was S Korea’s economic improvement that much different from Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and other ethnically relatively homogenous peoples?

[@dragonsaige]

Wait, the video didn't answer the question it sought to answer. Why did South Korean women grow so much, even more than Western nations?

[@dragonsaige]

Grew*

[@skyfeelan]

probably a mix of both outstanding economic growth and universal suffrage

[@겨우백육십]

Can't you guys use SI units when talking about S. Korea?

[@RustyPro676]

thanks, this is the exact question I asked myself while being in south korea, expecting to be one of the tallest with 6´2. The younger generation is just insanely tall :D

[@jakesmithdigital]

If you look at the latest Statista study of South Korean males. They are 5ft8 average and have gotten shorter for the last 3 generations...

[@TechOutAdam]

Koreans are gorgeous people. This was fascinating to watch. Of all things that made the difference. I won't say in the comments, you have to watch this.

[@NNA1984]

Japan also did very well. They were famously known as short people until 1945. Now they are not short any more.

[@ajvisser3922]

Im a 175cm tall western guy, traveled south east asia and asia quite a lot and felt tall all over SEA and japan but short in korea, there are more than obvious stature differences there.

[@ivy772]

The amount of paper they've wasted...like 😭 they could have just as easily done that on a laptop

[@Assassin3330]

i am glad someone said that

[@anxiousmike3154]

But why are South Koreans so much taller than the Japanese nowadays? The Japanese have been getting good nutrition after WW2. Are South Koreans eating, even more, to get taller than them? Or is it genetics?

[@어케알았노]

Maybe genetics

[@kaelakeluskar]

I love South Korea

[@handcreamcake]

❤

[@HNCS2006]

Given the climate, you do expect South Koreans to be more like Russians and Scandinavians in height. With adequate nutrition, they are now returning to their 'natural' state

[@michaeledgar6459]

I went to high school with Koreans in the 2010s and they were all a few inches shorter than me. Now if I ever see a group of high-school age Korean guys, they're almost always the same height or taller.

[@user-ix3vu6um4p]

On the Korean Peninsula, people living in the north have been taller since the past. If North Koreans are given enough nutrition, they will be taller than South Koreans.

[@brycewalburn3926]

Korea has been through a lot, and I have so much respect for their resiliency as a people. Korean immigrants have had such a positive influence on America, and though it took awhile, I'm glad to see their culture being celebrated here.

[@edwardkim8972]

Well... part of that is our fault. We are a personal and insular people. We don't tailor our food to outsiders like the Chinese do, for example.

[@huonghayley]

This is what I've been wondering lately since i got into kpop haha

[@Callsign-Blade_RunnerSG]

How about Scandinavians? Why are they so tall and does being tall affects life or health span??

[@algrameno2476]

Ohhh Vox thank you, that u remind us once again that if a person is rich, more it can Live better, be taller, be handsom, be healther ecc. Such a waste of time watching this video. U are losing that touch with reality... Stay focus VOX

[@youngblood3907]

Mark Trollope [The Church in Corea](1915) ㅡIn describing his impressions of Koreans, he said that they are taller than Japanese people by about a head above their shoulders. he praises the faithfulness of Catholics, especially those who are martyred for their faith. also mentions that they are a courageous people who rebelled against the Japanese for the sake of their country.

[@custom3505]

a weak country will always be colonized which can probably explain their failure in history against powerful nations that surrounds them

[@imnackeredsirnackered948]

I am 6ft 1 inches tall and I remember walking into line at a food store in Busan Korea and all the guys there were like my height or a tiny bit shorter.

[@sann5146]

Not my experience. 5'9" to 5'11" is the norm.

[@jrobinsonwebster]

The average height for Korean guys is 5'10"-177cm tall now

[@thisguy73]

All the chemicals in western food! You are welcome. Also sorry for all the cancer you get in the 50s but you got 2 inches out of it.

[@영호임-z8q]

한국은 한반도 토착민 + 북방민족 (시베리아,유럽) 인종으로 구성되어있고 일본은 한반도 토착민이 일본 열도로 이주해서 만든나라이고, 일본이라는 나라 자체가 1500년대 까지 한국에 통제하에 관리되어와서 절대 다른 인종이 못섞임. 그나마 1800년대?에 조금 섞이긴 했지만..

[@ian_sch]

Talking about South Korea in European height, and still refuses to use the metric system.

[@bingoberra18]

So how did they get so much taller? Is that super big difference equal to a super big difference in economic growth in a similar comparison to the same other countries? I dont feel like this video was very clear in actually answering the question. Instead just stating that there is an increase and that there was also other improvements in the way of living which is the same wherever you go. I mean Japan also had a huge economic boom, did they get equally much taller? Or are there other impacting factors such as food culture in different cultures?

[@bingoberra18]

@@Jurk844 Yeah so whats with the genetics then, that make the Koreans grow so much faster than everyone else, and why did the genetics in that case change so suddenly? It´s like this video raised the question but only scraped the surface answering it. I thought I would learn something new but what was stated was very obvious, not worthwhile making a video about.

[@steven_2005-z4f]

Dutch men are the tallest men in the world and Latvian women are the tallest women in the world today. Since South Koreans grew taller than all other nationalities in the world, South Koreans may be the tallest nationality in all of Asia.

[@seoul_9584]

Young Korean men's average height is almost 180cm (6'0) Old Korean men's average height is around 170cm (5'7)

[@Qwert_567]

I’m 32 and 180cm Korean but feel short compared to the young Koreans. It’s really interesting.

[@serelbass7283]

I mean South Korea went from one of the shortest in the world to one of the tallest in Asia very quickly.

[@shanewatson758]

I hope if someone would do a similar video for India and why the avg. Height of Indians is decreasing.

[@Blinerss]

I wonder how the increasing use of growth hormone injections in the younger generations in s korea today will affect this chart in the future. I have countless students telling me about how theyre getting these shots done at home.

[@user-zs9ek1bx5z]

>> FOODS / NUTRITION, ENVIRONMENT, and WAY OF LIFE >> GENES is a stong guide but can be manipulated or can be intervened

[@mcpain2006]

TLDW: More food, less disease

[@Dmwntkp99]

I'm 6.2 Korean Canadian, I don't like it, beds and cars are harder to get comfortable and your heart has to work harder.