Let’s have it straight away Doc. What is the average height for women?
The average American woman is around 5 foot 5 inches tall.
That is about 163 to 164 cms.
Women, as we know come, in all shapes and sizes from the statuesque Amazonian type to short, compact and fierce.
Most women like to know how they compare with other ladies of a similar age both for height, weight and Body Mass Index.
Above is the height chart for the average adult female of white ethnicity. How does your height compare to others?
How to use the Average Height for Women chart
To use the height chart above, firstly find your height along the right-hand side to see which percentile you fit into.
Have a look at the thick red line in the middle of the chart. This is the 50th percentile, or the average. So, 50% of the female population will be shorter than this and 50% will be taller.
Similarly, the lowest red line, the 5th percentile line, indicates an adult female height whereby only 5% of the female population is shorter. Likewise, if you are on the 95th percentile only 5% of women will be taller than you.
In addition, for those who are too young for foot inch measurements 5 feet tall is around 152 centimeter cm or 60 inches.
Hmm, according to the average height chart I seem to be shorter than average.
Me too, but I prefer to use the phrase ‘more down to earth’.
Why do women get shorter as they age?
Interestingly, the above height chart shows that the average female height becomes gradually shorter with ageing.
Why is this? Well, there are two major factors that contribute to this. Firstly, the intervertebral discs become narrower over time and secondly, osteoporosis causes tiny amounts of compression of the vertebral bodies.
Another minor factor is the narrowing of the cartilage by a few millimetres in the ankles, knees and hips. It all adds up.
Um, okay, but I’m already short how much more am I going to shrink?
Women will shrink around another 2 inches (or around 5 centimetres) between the ages of 30 and 70.
Don’t worry if you’ve started to get a bit shorter – you’re not old, just retro.
Average height and weight chart for women
Height is important for women for all sorts of reasons. It is the height and weight that determines the Body Mass Index (BMI) for women.
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a good indicator of a woman’s health and weight. BMI measurement shows if women are classed as underweight, normal weight, overweight, obese or super obese.
Dr Hall has some other charts too. To see how you compare weight wise with other women of the same age take a look at our weight chart.
Even easier, is to use the ideal weight calculator to see how you compare with other women of the same age.
- For theAverage Weight Chart for Women.
- To calculate your Body Mass Index BMI
Did you know that the average height of a female fashion model is around 5 foot 10 inches or 178 cms.
Yes, and the average weight of a female successful model is 107 pounds.
Well, according to my calculator, that is a BMI of around 15.4 which is officially underweight. Do NOT aspire to that, girls!
A little bit about Race and Ethnicity
The average height for a woman does change according to race and ethnicity. The race/ethnicity categories* are explained here.
So, to see how your height compares look at the charts according to race below:-
- Hispanic
- White
- Black
- Other
Well, that’s all great Doc, but what about the blokes?
Yes, I think that I’m quite short. What is the average male height?
Don’t worry guys, there is a list of all my height and weight charts below.
- Stand Tall: The Average Height for Men
- Average Weight Chart for Men: See how your weight compares with others of the same age and race.
- See the average height and weight chart for women and men
- Charts for girls, height of girls and weight of girls are available here. These are interesting, because they not only show the average height and weight of girls but they also show that the tendency to develop obesity in adult life often begins in childhood.
- The average height and growth chart for boys and the average weight chart for boys.
These charts have a lot of statistics.
I like statistics, do you Moose?
Probably.
The data source for this chart is the NHANES III survey, conducted in America during 1988 to 1994. Please Note: The chart on this particular page is a Height chart for women of “White” race/ethnicity*.
Created by Steven B. Halls, MD, FRCPC and John Hanson, MSc.
Questions and Answers
What is the American average height of women?
The average American female height is 163 to 164 cm, (approximately 64.2 to 64.6 inches), or around 5 foot – 5 inches tall. (for white females*).
Why does the CDC webpage say the average height is 63.8 inches when you say that it is 64.5-ish.
That’s a clue! It shows the CDC is skewing their data to be weighted toward much older adults, like the average 60 years old.
Furthermore, the average height of an adult woman has increased over the last decade. For example in 1914 the average woman height in the USA was 158.5 centimeters and in 2014 it had risen by 5 cm to 163.5 cms according to the Imperial College of London.
If you read my average weight pages, I express my muted anger about the CDC’s misleading statistics that make the average weight seem very overweight.
What is the average weight for Canadian women?
As we have seen the average weight depends on height. However,the average weight for Canadian women is around 145 pounds, at a height of 5’4″ (162.5 cms).
What is the average weight a woman can squat?
An appropriate squat weight varies greatly from one person to another. It depends on many factors such as your body weight, gender and current fitness levels. The most common weight women squat is 10 pounds in each hand or around 50% of the total body weight.
I don’t squat. I think that it’s bad for the knees.
Not as bad as being overweight is Moose!
What is the average weight for women who are 5’6″ or 168 cms?
It is true that frame size affects the average weight. Frame size is often measured by adult height and wrist size.
In addition, another important factor is the amount of body fat compared to muscle mass. For example, an athlete such as a woman volleyball player will have a lot more muscle than the average female.
Examples of frame sizes and average weight for the American Female adult woman:-
- Small Frame: The average weight is between between 120 and 133 pounds
- Medium Frame: An average weight somewhere between 130 and 144 pounds would be expected
- Large frame: The average weight would be between 140 to 159 pounds
What is the average weight for women who are 25-30 years old?
A woman aged between 25 and 30 years old should weigh somewhere between 104 and 137 lbs, depending on how tall you are.
What is the average weight of a 16 year old female?
By the age of 16, many girls have reached their adult height. An average 16-year-old female in the 50th percentile, standing at 5’4″ or 163 cms, will weigh around 115 pounds as their growth curves level off.
Other Posts about Body Mass Index and Weight and Height Charts
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