5’10” (177.8cm) is slightly above average for a man in the US and level with the average in the UK. In the CDC/NHANES US reference it sits at about the 65th percentile: taller than roughly 65% of adult men, shorter than the other 35%. It is a common, ordinary height rather than a tall or short one.
How 5’10” compares with national averages
The averages below use this site’s country dataset (NCD-RisC 2019 cohort, age 19) and the CDC/NHANES US adult median. The gap column shows how far 5’10” is above or below each figure.
| Measure | Height | 5’10” (177.8cm) is |
|---|---|---|
| US adult male median (CDC/NHANES) | 175.1cm | 2.7cm above |
| US average (NCD-RisC) | 176.9cm | 0.9cm above |
| UK average | 178.21cm | 0.4cm below |
| Germany | 180.28cm | 2.5cm below |
| Netherlands | 183.78cm | 6.0cm below |
| Japan | 172.06cm | 5.7cm above |
| India | 166.5cm | 11.3cm above |
| 69-country dataset average | 174.9cm | 2.9cm above |
The dataset average is an unweighted mean of the countries in this site’s file, not a world average, and it leans European. Treat it as a rough benchmark.
| Name | Height |
|---|---|
| 5'10" man | 177.8 cm |
| US average man | 176.9 cm |
| UK average man | 178.2 cm |
Where 5’10” sits on the US scale
The percentiles below come from the CDC/NHANES adult male reference (median 175.1cm). They show how quickly the percentile climbs around 5’10”, which is the steepest part of the bell curve.
| Height | Centimetres | US male percentile | Share of men taller |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5’8” | 172.7 | 37th | about 63% |
| 5’9” | 175.3 | 50th | about 50% |
| 5’10” | 177.8 | 65th | about 35% |
| 5’11” | 180.3 | 77th | about 23% |
| 6’0” | 182.9 | 86th | about 14% |
Moving from 5’9” to 5’10” adds about 15 percentile points. The same inch added at the tall end, from 6’3” to 6’4”, adds only about one point. That is why small height differences matter more in the middle of the range.
Try your own height, or change age and reference, in the calculator below.
This reference covers ages 2-20; using the nearest available data point for age 30.
Percentile
65th
At 177.8 cm and age 30, you are taller than approximately 65% of the CDC reference population for your sex.
z-score 0.38
Is 5’10” tall in the UK?
It is almost exactly average. The UK figure in this dataset is 178.21cm (5’10.2”), so 5’10” is 0.4cm under it, which is less than the width of a fingernail and well inside the day-to-day variation in anyone’s height.
If you want to check the UK against other European countries, our guide to average height in Europe by country ranks 30 of them. Our article on UK average height by age and sex covers how the figure changes through childhood and adulthood.
Why the answer changes by country
Average adult height differs by several centimetres between countries. Nutrition and healthcare in childhood explain much of that gap, alongside genetics. So a height that is average in one place is tall in another.
For 5’10”, the spread is wide. It is above the average in Japan, India, Brazil and China, close to the average in the UK, Canada and Australia, and below the average in the Netherlands, Montenegro and Estonia. None of those comparisons says anything about the person. They only describe where one number falls in one population.
Does shoe height change the answer?
Yes, slightly. Trainers typically add around 2.5cm and boots around 4cm, so a man who measures 5’8” barefoot may stand at 5’10” in boots. All figures on this page are barefoot heights. The comparison board has an “in shoes” toggle that shows the difference side by side.
If you are not sure of your own measurement, see our guide to measuring your height accurately at home. Height also changes slightly across the day, which is covered in why you are shorter in the evening.
What this page does and does not tell you
A percentile is a ranking in a reference group. It is not a verdict on health, attractiveness or ability. Adult height is shaped by inherited and environmental factors that the individual does not control, and the normal range for men is wide.
If you are comparing yourself with a partner, friend or family member, the height difference calculator gives the exact gap in centimetres, inches and as a percentage. For other thresholds in this series, see is 5’8” tall for a man and what percentage of men are 6 foot or taller.
How these figures were calculated
The US percentile uses the LMS method with the CDC/NHANES 2011-2014 adult male reference: median M = 175.1cm, coefficient of variation S = 0.041064 and L = 1. For 177.8cm the z-score is (177.8 / 175.1 - 1) / 0.041064 = +0.38, which converts to the 64.6th percentile through the standard normal distribution. The S value is estimated from published percentile columns, so treat the percentile as a close approximation.
Country averages come from this site’s dataset, itself compiled from NCD-RisC’s 2019 cohort figures (age 19). Inches convert to centimetres at exactly 2.54cm per inch. Last reviewed 25 October 2026.
Try the percentile calculator, rank your height by country or open the comparison board to stand 5’10” next to anyone.