The Netherlands is known for its tulips, windmills, and canals, but perhaps its most striking feature is the height of its people. The Dutch have earned the title of the tallest population on Earth. The average Dutchman measures about 6 feet (183 cm), and the average woman about 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm). The question of why the Dutch are so tall goes beyond mere curiosity. It provides a window into how environment, culture, diet, genetics, and even social policy intersect to shape human biology.
A Historical Perspective: From Short to Tall
It may come as a surprise, but the Dutch were not always tall. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the average Dutchman was shorter than his European counterparts, including the Germans and the Scandinavians. Malnutrition, poverty, and disease kept heights low, particularly in crowded cities where sanitation was poor and infant mortality high.
The transformation began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the Netherlands underwent major improvements in public health, agriculture, and living standards. The dairy industry expanded, providing widespread access to milk, cheese, and butter. Urban planning and social policies emphasized clean water, sanitation, and healthcare access. As prosperity grew, so did the height of its citizens.
By the mid-20th century, Dutch children were consistently outpacing their peers in height growth charts, and the nation quickly rose to the top of global averages.
The Role of Genetics
Genetics undoubtedly plays a role in height. Scientists have identified 180 genes that influence your height. Individually, all account for a very small effect, but combined, may explain up to 80% of the variation in height of a population. Northern Europeans as a group tend to be taller than populations from southern Europe, Asia, or Africa. Within this context, the Dutch stand at the extreme end of the spectrum, suggesting a strong genetic predisposition toward tall stature.
Read also: Healthy Keto Recipes
Some researchers suggest that evolutionary pressures may have amplified this trait in the Netherlands. Studies have indicated that taller Dutch men tend to have more children on average, suggesting a form of natural selection favoring height. Over generations, this reproductive advantage could have nudged the population upward. Gert Stulp, a behavioral biologist at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, led a study that included 42,616 people over the age of 45 born in the Netherlands to Dutch-born parents. The sampling showed that taller men, on average, had more children. However, women do not show a similar pattern. Stulp’s research of people born in Wisconsin in the late 1930’s show average height men had more children and that shorter women had children of average height.
Still, genetics alone cannot explain the rapid increase in Dutch height during the 20th century. Genes don’t change so quickly-so environment must have played a critical role.
The Dutch Diet: Milk, Cheese, and More
If there’s one dietary factor most often linked to Dutch height, it’s dairy. The Netherlands has long been a dairy powerhouse, producing world-famous cheeses like Gouda and Edam. Milk consumption in the Netherlands is among the highest in the world, and children are encouraged from an early age to drink milk daily. Studies show that a high dairy intake can lead to greater bone growth during childhood and adolescence. Celeste Beley notes that the Dutch are one of the world’s largest producers and consumers of cheese and milk.
Calcium and protein, abundant in dairy, are crucial for bone growth and density. Combined with a diet that emphasizes whole foods, meat, fish, and bread, the Dutch nutritional profile is highly supportive of growth. Better nutrition as in more animal protein in the diet could explain the upward height growth of the Dutch.
Anthropologists sometimes call this the “milk hypothesis”: populations with long traditions of dairy farming and high lactose tolerance (ability to digest milk into adulthood) often grow taller. The Dutch are a textbook case. Stulp explains, “Europeans have a gene that allows us to continue drinking milk throughout our lives. So we have an extra protein source in our diet for a longer period of time.”
Read also: Dutch Bros Keto Drink Guide
Social Equality and Healthcare
Height is strongly influenced by childhood health and nutrition. In societies with high inequality, children from poorer families may suffer stunted growth due to lack of access to nutritious food and healthcare. The Netherlands, however, is one of the most egalitarian countries in the world, with universal healthcare and strong social safety nets. The Netherlands consistently ranks among the best healthcare systems in the world. Many countries where malnutrition and poor healthcare are common have stunted growth in their populations. Economic prosperity plays a significant role in a nation’s overall height.
This means that children across the socio-economic spectrum generally receive the nutrition, vaccinations, and healthcare needed for optimal growth.
Maternal health also plays a major role. Dutch women receive comprehensive prenatal care, and infants benefit from regular checkups and vaccinations. This holistic investment in children helps maximize growth potential nationwide.
Lifestyle: Bicycles, Outdoor Living, and Balance
The Dutch lifestyle also contributes indirectly. Cycling is not just a hobby-it’s a way of life. From childhood, Dutch kids bike to school, play outdoors, and grow up in an environment that promotes physical activity. Exercise doesn’t make people taller, but it contributes to overall health and strong bones.
Chronic stress can hinder growth. The Netherlands consistently ranks among the happiest countries in the world, with relatively low stress levels compared to other nations. Dutch emphasis on work-life balance and social connection may create an environment where children can thrive physically as well as mentally.
Read also: Lemon Berry Keto Pancake
Regional and International Comparisons
The Dutch are not alone in their height. Scandinavians, especially Swedes and Norwegians, also rank high, as do some Balkan populations like Montenegrins. However, the Netherlands has managed to surpass them, likely due to the unique combination of diet, genetics, and social policy.
Interestingly, immigrant children in the Netherlands often grow taller than their parents, reflecting how environment can influence height within just one generation. For example, children of Turkish or Moroccan descent in the Netherlands are, on average, taller than their peers in their parents’ home countries. Children of Japanese immigrants to Hawaii are much taller than their parents. Scientists attribute this to a diet that is rich in milk and meat.
Are the Dutch Still Growing Taller?
Recent studies suggest that Dutch height may have plateaued or even slightly declined in the past decade. Nutrition is still excellent, but global changes in diet (such as more processed foods) and demographic shifts may affect averages.
Biologists suggest the Dutch may simply have reached their genetic ceiling for height. While they remain the tallest people in the world, it’s unlikely that future generations will continue to grow taller indefinitely. The surge in height of the Dutch population is likely only temporary, similar to Americans growth in height during the 18th century.
Cultural Implications of Height
Height has become part of Dutch identity, even a source of pride. It influences everything from fashion to furniture design. Dutch homes and products-chairs, beds, bicycles-are often made slightly larger than those in other countries.
Being tall has its perks, but also challenges. Airplane seats feel more cramped, doorways abroad can feel too low, and finding clothes outside of the Netherlands can be difficult. Within their own country, however, the Dutch have adapted their infrastructure to suit their stature.
In Dutch, there are many expressions related to height and size. Words like lang (tall/long) are part of everyday speech, and compliments on height are common. For learners of Dutch, these idioms provide insight into how deeply height is embedded in cultural consciousness.