Published: November 5, 2026
Key Facts
- Tunisia leads Africa. Its 19-year-old men average 176.9 cm (5 ft 9.6 in). Its women average 161.7 cm.
- Five of the top 10 are North African: Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, Algeria and Egypt.
- Senegal has the tallest women in the top 10, at 163.9 cm. It is the tallest mainland country in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Nigeria ranks 16th at 171.6 cm. South Africa ranks 30th at 169.6 cm. Both sit below the top-10 average of 175.6 cm.
- The ranking covers 52 of 54 African countries. Guinea-Bissau and South Sudan have no 2019 estimate in the dataset, so they are not ranked. The figures are for 19-year-olds in 2019, the latest year in the dataset.
Tunisia tops the list. Its 19-year-old men average 176.9 cm. That is 5.3 cm more than Nigeria and 12.6 cm more than Mozambique, the shortest ranked country. The top 10 are separated by only 3.7 cm. North Africa takes half the places. The surprise is at the bottom of the big names. Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, ranks 16th. South Africa ranks 30th.
| Rank | Country | Men (cm) | Women (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tunisia | 176.9 | 161.7 |
| 2 | Libya | 176.4 | 162.6 |
| 3 | Morocco | 176.4 | 161.2 |
| 4 | Cabo Verde | 176.3 | 163.1 |
| 5 | Senegal | 176.2 | 163.9 |
| 6 | Seychelles | 175.9 | 162.5 |
| 7 | Algeria | 175.0 | 162.3 |
| 8 | Mali | 175.0 | 162.0 |
| 9 | Egypt | 174.6 | 160.9 |
| 10 | Botswana | 173.2 | 162.1 |
The top 10 average 175.6 cm for men and 162.2 cm for women. Mauritius misses the top 10 by 0.2 cm, at 173.0 cm. The African average across all 52 ranked countries is 170.3 cm for men and 159.2 cm for women.
1. Tunisia, 176.9 cm
Tunisia is the tallest country in Africa. Its 19-year-old men average 176.9 cm, or 5 ft 9.6 in. That is 6.6 cm above the African average. Its women average 161.7 cm. Tunisia is the only country in the top 10 above 176.5 cm. That mark is the World Health Organization reference for a 19-year-old boy raised under optimal conditions.
2. Libya, 176.4 cm
Libya takes second place by the narrowest of margins. Its men average 176.4 cm, the same rounded figure as Morocco. The unrounded data puts Libya ahead by 0.04 cm. Its women average 162.6 cm, the second tallest in the top 10. Libya is one of five North African countries in the top 10.
3. Morocco, 176.4 cm
Morocco is third, a fraction behind Libya. Its men average 176.4 cm. Its women average 161.2 cm. Morocco completes a North African sweep of the top three places. No sub-Saharan country breaks into the top three.
4. Cabo Verde, 176.3 cm
Cabo Verde is the tallest country in sub-Saharan Africa. Its men average 176.3 cm. Its women average 163.1 cm. The island nation has about half a million people. It sits just off the coast of Senegal, the next country on this list.
5. Senegal, 176.2 cm
Senegal is the tallest mainland country in sub-Saharan Africa. Its men average 176.2 cm. Its women average 163.9 cm. That is the tallest female average in the top 10. Senegal sits just 0.7 cm behind Tunisia. West Africa takes two of the top five places, with Cabo Verde and Senegal.
6. Seychelles, 175.9 cm
Seychelles ranks sixth at 175.9 cm for men. Its women average 162.5 cm. The island nation keeps collecting first places on this site. It also leads our rankings of the most powerful passports, the most literate countries and the most educated countries in Africa. Height is another list it nearly tops.
7. Algeria, 175.0 cm
Algeria is seventh at 175.0 cm. It edges Mali on the unrounded figure, 175.04 cm against 175.02 cm. Its women average 162.3 cm. Algeria is the fourth North African country in the top 10. Only Egypt sits below it among the North African entries.
8. Mali, 175.0 cm
Mali is eighth, tied with Algeria at 175.0 cm on the rounded figure. Its women average 162.0 cm. Mali is the third West African country in the top 10, after Cabo Verde and Senegal.
9. Egypt, 174.6 cm
Egypt is ninth at 174.6 cm for men. Its women average 160.9 cm, the lowest female figure in the top 10. Egypt is the most populous country in the top 10. It is also the only top-10 country with more than 100 million people. Its place here shows that population size says little about height.
10. Botswana, 173.2 cm
Botswana closes the top 10 at 173.2 cm. Its women average 162.1 cm. It is the only southern African country in the top 10. South Africa, its much larger neighbour, ranks 30th at 169.6 cm. Mauritius misses this spot by 0.2 cm, at 173.0 cm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which African country has the tallest people?
Tunisia. Its 19-year-old men average 176.9 cm, or 5 ft 9.6 in. Libya and Morocco follow at 176.4 cm. The figures come from the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, which measured height across 200 countries.
How tall are Nigerians on average?
Nigerian men aged 19 average 171.6 cm, or 5 ft 7.6 in. Nigerian women average 158.1 cm. Nigeria ranks 16th of the 52 African countries in the dataset. That is 5.3 cm below Tunisia.
Why is South Africa ranked so low?
South Africa ranks 30th, with men averaging 169.6 cm. Height tracks nutrition, health and childhood conditions as much as genes. South Africa sits below the African average of 170.3 cm. Its neighbour Botswana ranks 10th at 173.2 cm.
Are the Dinka people the tallest in Africa?
Older books describe the Dinka of South Sudan as among the tallest people on earth. But no comparable national estimate exists for South Sudan in this dataset. South Sudan has no 2019 figure in the NCD-RisC data, so it is not ranked here. This list compares countries, not ethnic groups.
How was this ranking measured?
The ranking uses mean height at age 19 in 2019, from the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration. The study pooled 2,186 population studies with 65 million participants. The figures are modelled national averages, not measurements of every person. Age 19 is used because it is close to final adult height.
Data Sources
- NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC), height data downloads, Lancet 2020 child and adolescent height file: ncdrisc.org/data-downloads-height.html
- NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, "Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories", The Lancet 2020;396(10261):1511-1524.
- CompareHeight, average human height worldwide (NCD-RisC 2019, age 19), cross-check of all table figures: compareheight.net/average-human-height-worldwide
- World Health Organization 2007 growth reference: median 19-year-old boy raised under optimal conditions, 176.5 cm.
Methodology
This ranking uses mean height at age 19 in 2019, for men and women, from the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC). The source is the Lancet 2020 study of height in 200 countries. Age 19 is used because it is close to final adult height. The figures are modelled national means, not measurements of each person. They come from pooled population studies, not self-reported heights.
The ranking covers 52 of 54 African countries. Guinea-Bissau and South Sudan have no 2019 age-19 estimate in the dataset. They are excluded, not ranked last. Countries are ranked by male height. Female height is shown for context. Two ties at one decimal place were settled on the unrounded figures: Libya (176.39 cm) ahead of Morocco (176.35 cm), and Algeria (175.04 cm) ahead of Mali (175.02 cm). The data vintage is 2019, the latest year in the Lancet 2020 dataset. No newer NCD-RisC age-19 edition exists as of November 2026.
"Peoples" in the title means national populations. The dataset measures height by country of residence. It does not break down height by ethnic group. Claims about single groups, such as the Dinka, cannot be tested with this data and are not ranked. All derived claims in this article, including averages, gaps and shares, were recomputed from the final table values before publication.
