Scientists have found that the gap between the average height of a child in the tallest and shortest countries in the world is about 20cm.

Like the Netherlands, the tallest country in the world , the average height of its people is 175.62cm. But East Timor, the shortest country in the world, the average height is only 155.47cm.

East Timorese athletes participate in the Winter Olympics. Photo: Reuters

The 2020 health analysis data from the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration in association with Imperial College London in the UK listed the 25 countries with the shortest people in the world.

Vietnam ranks 15th with an average height of 159.01cm. Specifically, the average height of men is 164.44cm and that of women is 153.59cm.

In the Top 10 countries with the shortest height, Cambodia ranked 10th with an average height of 158.11cm. 9th: Bangladesh 157.29cm. 8th: Marshall Islands 157.05cm. 7th: Yemen 156.92cm. 6th: Nepal 156.58cm. 5th: Philippines 156.41cm. 4th: Guatemala 156.39cm. 3rd: Madagascar 156.36cm. 2nd: Laos 155.89cm. 1st: East Timor 155.47cm.

Genetics is only part of the answer to height differences between countries, Majid Ezzati, who runs NCD research at Imperial College London, told the BBC.

“About a third of the explanation can be attributed to genes, but that doesn’t explain the change over time. Genes don’t change that fast, and they don’t change that much around the world. So the changes are largely due to external factors,” Ezzati said.

External factors such as poor diet may play a part in height, according to research published by the BBC. Countries such as Japan, South Korea and China have seen their population grow taller. In contrast, some sub-Saharan African countries such as Uganda and Sierra Leone have seen male heights fall.

The tallest woman on the planet breaks 3 more Guinness World Records at the same time

The tallest woman on the planet breaks 3 more Guinness World Records at the same time

The tallest woman on the planet, Rumeysa Gelgi, from Türkiye, has just been confirmed as the holder of three more Guinness World Records.