Countries with the tallest men are revealed in new table

It might be best known for its breathtaking tulip fields and iconic windmills. 

But the Netherlands can also claim another accolade — being home to the tallest men in the world.

Men born in 1996 in the European country measure 182.54cm, on average, figures show.

That is the equivalent of roughly 6ft.

For comparison, the typical male Brit born in the same year is 177.49 cm, or around 5ft 10.

Meanwhile, American men are almost the same height, on average (177.13cm).

Height data, shared by Our World in Data, an Oxford University-backed platform, is available for 195 countries and involves millions of participants.

Results were calculated by dividing the sum of total heights by the male population.

Sharing their results, the Our World in Data team wrote: ‘Poor nutrition and illness in childhood limit human growth. 

‘As a consequence, average height of a population is strongly correlated with living standards in a population. 

‘This makes the study of height relevant for historians who want to understand the history of living conditions.’

But height can’t be used as a direct measure of well-being. Researchers believe that individual height is largely determined by genetic factors.

Following the Netherlands, Belgium (181.70cm), Estonia (181.59cm), Latvia (181.42cm) and Denmark (181.39cm) round off the top five countries with the tallest men.

At the other end of the scale, East Timor is home to the smallest men, who measure 159.79cm (5ft 2), on average. 

It was followed by Yemen (159.89cm), Laos (160.52cm), Madagascar (161.55cm) and Malawi (162.23cm). 

According to Guinness World Records, the world’s tallest man to have ever lived was Robert Wadlow at 272cm (8ft 11) in 1940. 

The world’s shortest man, still alive today, is Afshin Ghaderzadeh, who is 65.24cm (2ft 2).