Height of famous world leaders current
Records of heads of state
Heads of state throughout the world and at all periods of history may be ranked according to characteristics such as length of time holding that position; age of accession or death; or physical attributes. World records in these characteristics may be identified, though the historical basis for such claims is frequently uncertain.
Period of service
Longest-reigning/serving
Main article: List of current state leaders by date of assumption of office
Monarch
Longest-reigning male monarch
Main article: List of longest-reigning monarchs
The longest undisputed reigning monarch is Sobhuza II, who ruled the Kingdom of Swaziland under the title of Paramount Chief of Swaziland and later King of Swaziland. He ruled for 82 years and 254 days. However, the longest undisputed reigning ruler of a sovereign state is Louis XIV, who ruled the Kingdom of France for 72 years, 3 months, and 18 days.
The distinction of longest-ruling monarch whose exact dates of rule are unknown is disputed between the following candidates:
Longest-reigning female monarch
Main article: List of longest-reigning monarchs
The longest reigning claimed female monarch is Arwa al-Sulayhi, who reportedly ruled over the Sulayhid dynasty in present day Yemen for about 71 years between 1067 and 5 May 1138. Her state was a confederation of the Fatimid Caliphate.
The longest reigning female monarch of a completely sovereign state is Elizabeth II, who was the Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms. She was Queen of the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, for 70 years, from 6 February 1952 until her death aged 96 on 8 September 2022.
Longest current reigning male monarch
Main article: List of current reigning monarchs by length of reign
The longest current reigning male monarch is Hassanal Bolkiah, who is the Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan of Bru
Aleksandar Vucic
Serbia’s President Vucic stands at a proud 1.99 m, towering over his counterparts in many a group photo.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L), President of France Emmanuel Macron (R), welcome Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (2-R) for a meeting of Balkan leaders at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Monday, April 29, 2019.
(AP Photo)
Donald Trump
Former U.S. President Trump might not seem like the tallest but at 1.90 m he is relatively tall compared to other world leaders. Some claim he is a bit taller, but that can be put down to his hair more than anything.
Trump walks out of the White House in Washington, DC, Oct. 27, 2020.
(Getty Images)
Justin Trudeau
Close to his southern neighbor, Canada’s Prime Minister Trudeau stands at 1.88 m.
Trudeau arrives for the "family photo" on the first day of the Group of Seven leaders summit in Carbis Bay, U.K., June 11, 2021.
(Getty Images)
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
At 1.85 m Turkey’s president might not be the tallest of the politicians but he is taller than the average Turkish man.
Erdoğan walks to greet Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, Aug. 28, 2017.
(AP Photo)
Joe Biden
Quite a bit shorter and a tad older than his predecessor U.S. President Biden is 1.82 m tall.
Biden arrives at an event marking the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 26, 2021.
(Getty Images)
Boris Johnson
Britain's Prime Minister doesn’t only represent his country as a politician but also the average height of a U.K. male at 1.75 m.
Johnson delivers a speech about plans to "level up" the country during his visit to the U.K. Battery Industrialisation Centre in Coventry, England, July 15,
13 world leaders ranked by how tall they are
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- World leaders vary widely in height, though many try to project the image of being taller than they are.
- We often see them photographed together, allowing us to see just how much their heights can vary.
- Here's how they stack up, from the president of Serbia coming in at 6 feet, 6 inches — or 198 centimeters — and Ireland's leader coming in at 5-foot-3, or 160 centimeters.
Studies have shown that voters lean toward taller politicians, viewing them as better suited to leadership.
But the world's leaders fill the whole spectrum, with some topping 6 feet and others closer to 5 feet tall.
World leaders don't always publicize their height, which means estimating often comes down to comparing them as they stand beside one another or with other celebrities whose heights are public.
Some world leaders even go out of their way to seem taller than they are, so their actual height can be something of a surprise.
Here's the height of 13 world leaders and how they compare with their counterparts. They are ranked from shortest to tallest.
Scotland's Nicola Sturgeon: 5 feet, 4 inches (163 cm)
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stands at 5ft 4 (1.63m).
Source: The Express
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak : 5 feet, 6 inches (170 cm)
Rishi Sunak is the UK's first prime minister of Asian descent as well as the youngest one too.
Source: Huffington Post
New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern: 5 feet, 7 inches (170 cm)
Source: Vogue
Russia's Vladimir Putin: 5 feet, 7 inches (170 cm)
Heights of presidents and presidential candidates of the United States
A record of the heights of the presidents and presidential candidates of the United States is useful for evaluating what role, if any, height plays in presidential elections in the United States. Some observers have noted that the taller of the two major-party candidates tends to prevail, and argue this is due to the public's preference for taller candidates.
The tallest U.S. president was Abraham Lincoln at 6 feet 4 inches (193 centimeters), while the shortest was James Madison at 5 feet 4 inches (163 centimeters).
Donald Trump, the current president, is 6 feet 3 inches (190 centimeters) according to a physical examination summary from February 2019.
Electoral success as a function of height
Folk wisdom about U.S. presidential politics holds that the taller of the two major-party candidates always wins or almost always wins since the advent of the televised presidential debate. The topic is also popular among essayists and popular science writers.
A number of studies have been published, but many have methodological issues, including varied and unjustified date ranges from which elections are sampled in order to calculate percentages of elections in which taller candidates have won. One 2001 study approached the issue by measuring the support of candidates in terms of popular votes, giving evidence for an advantage for taller candidates. Other studies have also compared presidential height to the average height of the population.
According to a 2013 study, significantly taller candidates were more likely to win the popular vote, while they were not more likely to win U.S. presidential elections: the number of taller candidates who won elections did not differ in a statistically significant manner from chance. It