Height
How tall is 5'3"?
160.02 cm1.6 m · 63″
5 foot 3 is exactly 160.02 cm. For an adult in the United States that is very short for a man and about average for a woman — but the same number lands very differently elsewhere, which is what the table below is for.
Key figures for 5'3"
- Centimetres
- 160.02 cm
- Exact conversion
- Metres
- 1.6 m
- Total inches
- 63″
- 5 ft × 12 + 3
- US percentile
- 2nd / 43rd
- Men / women (CDC adults)
Is 5'3" tall?
Measured against US adults aged 20 and over, from the CDC's NHANES survey (mean 175.3 cm for men, 161.3 cm for women).
For a man
2nd percentile
About 2% of American men are shorter than 5'3", so it reads as very short. Worldwide it is around the 6th percentile.
For a woman
43rd percentile
About 43% of American women are shorter than 5'3", so it reads as about average. Worldwide it is around the 53rd percentile.
5'3" around the world
Where a height sits depends entirely on who you stand next to. For men, 5'3" runs from the <1st percentile in Netherlands to the 50th percentile in Timor-Leste.
| Country | vs. men | Men’s percentile | vs. women | Women’s percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | −23.8 cm | <1st | −10.4 cm | 6th |
| Montenegro | −23.3 cm | <1st | −10 cm | 6th |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | −22.5 cm | <1st | −7.5 cm | 12th |
| Denmark | −21.9 cm | <1st | −9.5 cm | 7th |
| Ukraine | −21 cm | <1st | −6.6 cm | 16th |
| Croatia | −20.8 cm | <1st | −6.8 cm | 15th |
| Serbia | −20.7 cm | <1st | −8.3 cm | 10th |
| Poland | −20.7 cm | <1st | −5.8 cm | 19th |
| Finland | −20.6 cm | <1st | −6.5 cm | 16th |
| Norway | −20.5 cm | <1st | −6.4 cm | 16th |
| Sweden | −20.5 cm | <1st | −6.7 cm | 15th |
| Germany | −20.3 cm | <1st | −6.2 cm | 17th |
| Greece | −19.3 cm | <1st | −5.8 cm | 19th |
| Ireland | −19 cm | <1st | −4.5 cm | 25th |
| Australia | −18.8 cm | <1st | −4.7 cm | 24th |
| Canada | −18.7 cm | <1st | −4.7 cm | 24th |
| France | −18.6 cm | <1st | −4.5 cm | 25th |
| United Kingdom | −18.2 cm | 1st | −3.9 cm | 28th |
| New Zealand | −17.7 cm | 1st | −4.7 cm | 24th |
| Jamaica | −17 cm | 1st | −4.3 cm | 26th |
| United States | −16.9 cm | 1st | −3.3 cm | 31st |
| Russia | −16.6 cm | 1st | −4.5 cm | 25th |
| Turkey | −16.4 cm | 1st | −1.8 cm | 39th |
| Spain | −16.1 cm | 1st | −2 cm | 38th |
| Brazil | −15.7 cm | 1st | −2.4 cm | 36th |
| China | −15.7 cm | 1st | −3.5 cm | 30th |
| Iran | −15.6 cm | 1st | −1.2 cm | 43rd |
| South Korea | −15.5 cm | 1st | −3.2 cm | 31st |
| Argentina | −14.8 cm | 2nd | −1.2 cm | 43rd |
| Egypt | −14.6 cm | 2nd | −0.9 cm | 45th |
| Italy | −14.4 cm | 2nd | −1.8 cm | 39th |
| Portugal | −14.4 cm | 2nd | −1.2 cm | 43rd |
| Japan | −12.1 cm | 4th | +1.5 cm | 59th |
| Colombia | −11.9 cm | 5th | +2 cm | 62nd |
| Thailand | −11.6 cm | 5th | +0.6 cm | 54th |
| Nigeria | −11.6 cm | 5th | +1.9 cm | 62nd |
| Saudi Arabia | −10.7 cm | 7th | +1.2 cm | 57th |
| Kenya | −10.5 cm | 7th | +0.6 cm | 54th |
| Mexico | −10.3 cm | 7th | +2.1 cm | 63rd |
| South Africa | −9.6 cm | 9th | +1.4 cm | 59th |
| Malaysia | −9.2 cm | 10th | +2.9 cm | 67th |
| Vietnam | −8.9 cm | 11th | +1.6 cm | 60th |
| Ethiopia | −8.8 cm | 11th | +2.8 cm | 67th |
| DR Congo | −8.6 cm | 11th | +3.7 cm | 72nd |
| Pakistan | −7.3 cm | 15th | +5.2 cm | 79th |
| Tanzania | −7 cm | 16th | +3.1 cm | 68th |
| Peru | −6.8 cm | 17th | +5.6 cm | 81st |
| Myanmar | −6.7 cm | 17th | +5.3 cm | 79th |
| India | −6.5 cm | 18th | +4.8 cm | 77th |
| Indonesia | −6.3 cm | 19th | +5.6 cm | 81st |
| Philippines | −5.2 cm | 23rd | +5.9 cm | 82nd |
| Bangladesh | −5.1 cm | 24th | +7.6 cm | 88th |
| Nepal | −4.4 cm | 27th | +7.6 cm | 88th |
| Guatemala | −4.4 cm | 27th | +9.1 cm | 92nd |
| Timor-Leste | −0.1 cm | 50th | +7.3 cm | 87th |
Estimated from NCD-RisC national averages for 19-year-olds and an assumed normal distribution. This is the only series that covers every country on a consistent basis, and it runs a little taller than measured adult figures — which is why the US percentiles above, taken from the CDC's adult survey, differ slightly from the US row here. Greyed values sit beyond the 2nd or 98th percentile, where the estimate stops discriminating.How we calculate this → Check your own percentile →
Who is 5'3"?
Public figures with a reported height within 2 cm of 5'3".
- Scarlett JohanssonActor5′ 3″160 cm
- Sydney SweeneyActor5′ 3″160 cm
- Muggsy BoguesShortest player in NBA history5′ 3″160 cm
- Billie EilishSinger-songwriter5′ 3.5″161 cm
- Kim KardashianMedia personality5′ 2.5″159 cm
Seen side by side: Gal Gadot vs Scarlett Johansson, Manute Bol vs Muggsy Bogues and Ariana Grande vs Billie Eilish.
Nearby heights
Questions about 5'3"
How tall is 5'3" in cm?
5 foot 3 is exactly 160.02 cm, or 1.6 m. That is 63 inches in total (5 × 12 + 3), and each inch is 2.54 cm.
Is 5'3" tall for a man?
In the United States, 5'3" is very short for a man — around the 2nd percentile, so roughly 2% of American men are shorter. That is measured against CDC NHANES data for adults aged 20 and over, whose mean is 175.3 cm.
Is 5'3" tall for a woman?
In the United States, 5'3" is about average for a woman — around the 43rd percentile, meaning roughly 43% of American women are shorter, against a CDC adult mean of 161.3 cm.
Does 5'3" count as tall everywhere?
No. For men it ranges from about the <1st percentile in Netherlands to the 50th percentile in Timor-Leste. The same height reads very differently depending on where you are.
See 5'3" next to anyone
The chart opens with 5'3" already lined up against the average American man and woman. Add friends, celebrities, objects or your own photo, and every difference is calculated for you.