Dutch men and Latvian women are world’s tallest

The Netherlands has the tallest men in the world and Latvia the tallest women, according to the largest ever study of global height.

People of both sexes in theukarealongwaydown the league table. British men are 31st on the list, and British women 38th.

The top ten tallest nations was dominated by European countries, and featured no English-speaking nation. Dutch men had an average height of 5ft 11.8in while the average Latvian woman was 5ft 6.9in.

Lead researcher Professor Majid Ezzati, from Imperial College London, said: “Our study also shows the English-speaking world, especially the USA, is falling behind other high-income nations in Europe and Asia Pacific.

“This emphasises the need for more effective policies towards healthy nutrition.”