Average Male Height in South Sudan: 1800 to Today (and Tomorrow)

Height is a silent biographer, recording the adequacy of nutrition and health in the very marrow of a population. When we track the average male height in South Sudan across three centuries, we are observing a proxy for the physical reality of human survival. These numbers are more than mere statistics; they are markers of the environmental conditions that shaped generations. A height of 169 cm in the 2020s reflects the cumulative outcome of complex historical pressures, tracing a path from the early 1800s estimate of 165 to our current standing.

The historical trajectory of South Sudan shows a slow, incremental climb. From the 1800s estimate of 165, the stature of the average male rose gradually to reach 166 in 1900. Throughout the twentieth century, growth continued, moving from 167 in the 1950s to 168 in the 1980s and 1990s. This progression stalled and shifted before reaching 168.5 in the 2010s. By the 2020s, the average male height in South Sudan stands at 169 cm, placing the nation at rank #138 of 157 countries globally according to NCD-RisC.

For an individual born in South Sudan, these shifts delineate the changing potential of a life. If you were born in the 1810s estimate of 165.1, your physical development was tied to the resources of that era. Today, the 2020s average of 169 cm suggests a different baseline for health, with projections reaching 171.4 by the 2100s estimate. These figures represent the actual lives lived, providing a baseline for understanding human development over time. Visit the full country profile to compute your own parallel life.