Home   >   News   >   Korea   >   Average height of male Seoulites grew 4 inches in half century

Average height of male Seoulites grew 4 inches in half century

August 3, 2015

SEOUL (Yonhap) — The average height of male Seoul citizens grew by more than 10 centimeters (4 inches) over the past five decades, a study showed Monday.

The average height for men living in Seoul reached 173.9 centimeters (5′ 8″) in 2013, up 10.2 cm from 163.7 cm (5′ 4″) in 1965, according to data released by the Seoul Institute. Their average weight also rose by 15.3 kilograms (33.8 pounds), from 54.3 kg (120 pounds to 69.6 kg (153.4 pounds).

The numbers also surged for women, from 156.9 cm (5′ 2″) to 161.3 cm (5′ 4″), in the same time span. Their average weight soared from 51 kg (112.4 lbs) to 56.7 kg (125 lbs).

Cancer marked the number one cause of death for Seoulites in 2013, causing up to 31 percent of all deaths, followed by cerebrovascular diseases and cardiac disorders at 8.7 and 7.9 percent, respectively.

It is a huge change from 1947, when pneumonia and infant disorders caused 12.6 and 12 percent of total deaths.

According to the data, male Seoul citizens in 2013 are expected to live an average of 78.5 years, up from 42.8 years in 1942. The comparable statistics for women rose from 47.1 years to 85 years.

While infant mortality decreased from 84.4 out of 1,000 babies in 1947 to three out of 1,000 in 2013, the number of births decreased drastically from 37.3 per 1,000 people to 8.4 in 1,000.