Iceland Average Height for Men and Women (2026 Data)

A young Icelandic man stands about 5 ft 11.1 in¹ tall, taller than the men of Norway, Sweden and Finland, and less than an inch shorter than the Dutch. That height took a century to build: Icelandic men born in 1896 averaged 5 ft 7.1 in¹, and the gain stopped with the generation born in the 1970s. Weight moved the other way, and later. The share of Icelandic men living with obesity rose from 6.4%² in 1980 to 24.0%² in 2024.

This report uses the peer-reviewed estimates of the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration for height, BMI and obesity, WHO's Global Health Observatory, and Iceland's Directorate of Health. It covers height by birth year, rank among 200 countries, how children grow, weight and obesity, and the offbeat Icelandic counts people search for next: the tallest Icelander, golf courses, swimming pools and books.

Average male height in Iceland

The best comparable measure of adult height is the mean height at age 18 by year of birth, estimated for 200 countries by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) from population-based measurements. For Icelandic men born in 1996, the most recent birth year in the study, it is 180.5 cm¹. The 95% uncertainty range for that birth year runs from 176.7¹ to 184.3 cm¹, wider than for earlier years because fewer measurements of the youngest cohort were available.

Iceland average height in feet and inches

In US units, 180.5 cm is 71.1 inches, or 5 ft 11.1 in³. Icelandic women born in the same year average 65.3 inches, or 5 ft 5.3 in³, so the gap between the sexes is about 5.7 inches³ (14.5 cm).

Height climbed for most of the 20th century. Men born in 1896 averaged 170.5 cm¹ (5 ft 7.1 in), men born in 1936 178.5 cm¹ and men born in 1956 180.6 cm¹. The peak came with the 1974 birth cohort, at 181.4 cm,¹ and men born later are slightly shorter: the 1996 cohort is 0.9 cm³ below the peak, well inside the uncertainty range. If the straight-line trend of the 1976–1996 birth years continued, men born in 2050 would average about 70.1 inches³, but a plateau is the more likely reading of the data.

Average female height in Iceland

Icelandic women born in 1996 average 166.0 cm¹, or 5 ft 5.3 in. Their century of growth was smaller than the men's: women born in 1896 averaged 158.6 cm¹ (5 ft 2.4 in), so the gain was 7.4 cm³, about 2.9 inches, against 10.0 cm³ for men.

Women also stopped growing earlier. Their peak came with the 1967¹ birth cohort, at 167.9 cm¹, and women born in 1996 are 1.9 cm³ shorter than that. A straight line through the 1976–1996 birth years points to about 63.6 inches³ for women born in 2050, again with a wide range.

How tall Icelanders are compared with other countries

Among the 200 countries in the NCD-RisC study, Icelandic men born in 1996 rank 9th³. All eight countries with taller men are in Europe: the Netherlands leads at 182.5 cm¹ (5 ft 11.9 in), followed by Belgium, Estonia, Latvia and Denmark. Icelandic women rank 12th³, behind Latvia at 169.8 cm¹ (5 ft 6.9 in), the Netherlands and Estonia. The shortest averages in the study are 159.8 cm¹ for men in Timor-Leste and 149.4 cm¹ for women in Guatemala. The simple average of all 200 countries is 171.3 cm³ for men and 159.5 cm³ for women, so Icelandic men are about 9.2 cm³ above it and Icelandic women about 6.5 cm³.

Iceland vs the Nordic countries and the US

Within the Nordic countries, only Danish men are taller than Icelandic men, at 181.4 cm¹. Norwegian and Swedish men average 179.7 cm¹ each and Finnish men 179.6 cm¹. American men born in 1996 average 177.1 cm¹ (5 ft 9.7 in), about 1.3 inches³ shorter than Icelanders, and British men 177.5 cm¹. For women, Denmark again leads the Nordics at 167.2 cm¹, while Icelandic and Finnish women are level at about 165.9 cm¹, and American women average 163.5 cm¹.

A head start rather than a growth spurt

Iceland's gain over the century was modest by European standards because Icelanders started tall. Icelandic women born in 1896 were already taller than women in Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and Canada, and level with American women, at 158.6 cm¹, while Finnish women of that year averaged 153.9 cm¹. Finnish women then gained 12.0 cm³ and caught up. Dutch men gained 13.1 cm³ and Dutch women 13.9 cm³. By the gain from 1896 to 1996, Icelandic men rank 96th³ of 200 countries and Icelandic women 117th³.

How tall Icelandic children and teenagers are

A second NCD-RisC study follows school-aged children from 1985 to 2019. In 2019, Icelandic 5-year-olds averaged 118.5 cm⁴ for boys and 116.5 cm⁴ for girls, about 3 ft 10 in. Girls overtake boys briefly around puberty: at 11 and 12 they are slightly taller, with 12-year-old girls at 157.2 cm⁴ against 156.8 cm⁴ for boys. By 15 boys are well ahead, 174.8 cm⁴ against 165.6 cm⁴. Girls add only about 3.3 cm³ between 15 and 19, boys about 7.3 cm³.

The same study suggests the youngest adults are about as tall as the peak generations. Icelandic 19-year-olds measured in 2019, born around 2000, averaged 182.1 cm⁴ (5 ft 11.7 in) for men and 168.9 cm⁴ (5 ft 6.5 in) for women. In 1985 the figures were 180.5 cm⁴ and 168.1 cm⁴. The two studies use different models, so these numbers should not be compared directly with the birth-year series above.

Average weight in Iceland

No Icelandic agency publishes a national average body weight, but WHO's Global Health Observatory reports mean body mass index (BMI), weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared, from NCD-RisC estimates. In 2016, the latest year in that series, adult Icelandic men averaged a BMI of 27.0⁵ and women 25.5⁵, up from 24.2⁵ and 23.5⁵ in 1975. A BMI of 25 or more counts as overweight.

Applied to the average heights above, those BMI values correspond to about 194 pounds³ (88.0 kg) for a man of 5 ft 11.1 in and 155 pounds³ (70.2 kg) for a woman of 5 ft 5.3 in. This is an illustration, not a measured average: the BMI covers all adults, while the heights belong to young adults.

Icelandic men's mean BMI is higher than in Denmark, 26.2⁵, Sweden and Finland, and lower than in Norway, 27.3⁵, and the United States, 28.8⁵.

Obesity in Iceland

Obesity, a BMI of 30 or more, has more than tripled among Icelandic men since 1980 and nearly tripled among women. NCD-RisC's newest estimates, age-standardised so that years and countries can be compared, put obesity among Icelandic men at 24.0%² in 2024 and among women at 21.5%². In 1980 the shares were 6.4%² and 7.9%². Men overtook women around the turn of the century: in 2000 both stood at about 14.8%². The rise has slowed: men's obesity grew by 2.9 percentage points³ between 2000 and 2005, but by 1.4 points³ between 2015 and 2020. If the straight-line trend of 2000–2024 continued, obesity would reach about 33.3%³ of men and 28.3%³ of women by 2050.

BMI categories

Most Icelandic men are now above the healthy BMI range. In 2024, 43.7%² of men had a BMI of 25 to under 30 and 24.0%² were at 30 or above, which leaves 31.4%² between 18.5 and 25 and 1.0%² underweight. Among women, 46.2%² were in the 18.5–25 range, 29.9%² at 25–30 and 2.5%² underweight. The highest band, a BMI of 40 or more, covered 2.6%² of men and 2.4%² of women, against 0.2%² and 0.3%² in 1980.

Iceland vs other countries

Obesity in Iceland is middling for Europe and far below the United States. Among 45 European countries in the NCD-RisC estimates, Icelandic men rank 18th³ highest and Icelandic women 22nd³. Men's obesity is close to Finland's 24.2%² and above Norway's 21.5%², Sweden's 19.0%² and Denmark's 15.8%². In the United States the shares are 40.3%² for men and 43.1%² for women.

What Iceland's own health survey shows

Iceland's Directorate of Health measures the same trend in its national survey Heilsa og líðan (Health and wellbeing). Using weighted survey answers, it reports that 19%⁶ of adult men had a BMI of 30 or more in 2007, rising to 27%⁶ in 2022, and that the share among women rose from 21%⁶ to 29%⁶. For all adults, that is about 28%⁶ in 2022. The survey figures are higher than the modelled estimates above; they come from weighted survey answers rather than age-standardised model estimates, so the two series should not be mixed. The same survey found that 57%⁶ of women and 45%⁶ of men were trying to lose weight or had tried in the past 12 months.

Measured against its neighbours on self-reported data, Iceland stands out. In a 2019 OECD report cited by the Directorate, 65%⁶ of Icelandic adults reported a height and weight in the overweight or obesity range, against 48%⁶ in Norway and 49%⁶ in Denmark and Sweden. Finland's figure of 67%⁶ came from measurements, which usually give higher shares, so it is not directly comparable.

Children

Iceland's school health service checks the growth of pupils in grades 1, 4, 7 and 9 every year, about 17,200⁶ children a year over the past decade. Over that decade the share of children in the healthy weight range fell from 78%⁶ to 74%⁶, the share with overweight or obesity rose from 21%⁶ to 25%⁶, and obesity alone rose from 5%⁶ to 7%⁶. Obesity is more common outside the capital: by spring 2023 it had risen from 6.5%⁶ to just under 10%⁶ of children in the rest of the country, and from 4.0%⁶ to 6.0%⁶ in the capital region. Among first-graders, 5.8%⁶ had obesity in 2022, lower than in Finland and Sweden but higher than Denmark's 3.5%⁶.

Height and weight are not the only Icelandic averages people look up.

Other Icelandic records and counts

The tallest Icelander

The tallest Icelander on record was Jóhann Kristinn Pétursson, known as Jóhann Svarfdælingur or Jóhann the giant, who lived from 1913⁷ to 1984⁷. According to the University of Iceland's Vísindavefurinn, he measured 2.34 m⁷, which is 7 ft 8 in, or 92 inches³. That is about 21.1 inches³ taller than the average young Icelandic man.

How many golf courses in Iceland?

Golf Iceland's tee-time portal, Rástímar.is, lists 68⁸ golf courses once split nines and weekend layouts are counted as one course. 18⁸ have 18 holes, 49⁸ have 9 holes and 1⁸ has 14, and 5⁸ are marked as practice courses. The capital region has 17⁸ of them and South Iceland 15⁸, while the Northwest has 3⁸.

The courses are busy. Golf Iceland reports about 33,600⁹ golfers registered in 63⁹ clubs in 2026, 14.4%⁹ more than a year earlier, and expects about 40,000⁹ by 2030. Registered golfers numbered just 132¹⁰ in 1934, 3,400¹⁰ in 1990 and 15,800¹⁰ in 2010. Golf Iceland ranks Iceland first in Europe, with 6.2%⁹ of Icelanders in golf clubs; that share appears to predate the newest count, since 33,600 members would equal about 8.5%³ of the 394,324¹¹ people living in Iceland on 1 January 2026. Children and teenagers make up 15%⁹ of registered golfers, and about 33%¹⁰ were women in 2022. Beyond club members, Golf Iceland estimates that about 60,000¹² Icelanders play golf.

How many swimming pools in Iceland?

Iceland has about 170¹³ recreational swimming centres, according to the country update presented by Iceland GeoSurvey and the GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme at the 2025 European Geothermal Congress. 145¹³ of them use geothermal heat to keep the water at 28–30 °C¹³ (82–86 °F), and the geothermally heated pools cover about 35,000 m²¹³, roughly 377,000 square feet. With 394,324 residents, that is about 4.3³ swimming centres per 10,000 people, or one for every 2,320³. Heating them took an estimated 3,019¹³ terajoules of geothermal energy in 2023, and a mid-sized 25-metre outdoor pool uses as much hot water as 80–100¹³ single-family homes. The greater Reykjavík area alone has 15¹³ public outdoor pools.

Iceland books published per capita

Statistics Iceland's latest report on book publishing counts 1,488¹⁴ printed book titles published in 2015, or 4.5¹⁴ per 1,000 inhabitants. Around 1999–2000 the rate was about 6¹⁴ per 1,000, and from 1999 to 2015 an average of 1,597¹⁴ books were published a year. Seven in ten books were written in Icelandic, and six in ten translations were from English.¹⁴ In 2015, 76%¹⁴ of titles were general works, 21%¹⁴ were books for children and young people and 3%¹⁴ were textbooks. The counts cover printed books and audiobooks only; digital publishing is not included.

What the numbers mean

For a visitor, the practical picture is simple: in a crowd in Reykjavík, the average man is about 5 ft 11.1 in³ and the average woman about 5 ft 5.3 in³, a little taller than in the United States and close to the rest of Scandinavia. Iceland's height story is one of an early start and an early finish: its people were already among the taller Europeans before 1900, grew by about 3.9 inches³ for men, and then levelled off with the generations born in the 1960s and 1970s.

The weight story is still moving. Obesity among men rose from about one in sixteen in 1980 to about one in four in 2024,² and among schoolchildren from 5%⁶ to 7%⁶ in a decade. The Directorate of Health's working group framed its 2024 recommendations around prevention and avoiding weight stigma, and noted that weight-related discussion should be handled with care.⁶ The same island that measures its children's growth every year also supports about 170¹³ swimming centres and 68⁸ golf courses, facts that say as much about everyday life in Iceland as any single average.

Conclusions

1. Icelanders are among the tallest people in the world. Men born in 1996 average 5 ft 11.1 in¹ and rank 9th³ of 200 countries; women average 5 ft 5.3 in¹ and rank 12th³.
2. Growth in height has stopped. Men peaked with the 1974¹ birth cohort and women with the 1967¹ cohort, and later generations are within a centimetre or two of those peaks.
3. Iceland gained less height than most of Europe because it started tall: 10.0 cm³ for men over the century, against 13.1 cm³ in the Netherlands.
4. Body weight is rising faster than height ever did: obesity among men went from 6.4%² in 1980 to 24.0%² in 2024, although the increase has slowed since 2010.
5. On per-person counts, Iceland stands out in leisure: about one swimming centre for every 2,320³ people and 33,600⁹ registered golfers on 68⁸ courses.