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World Service,3 mins

Why are the Dutch the tallest people in the world?

Health Check

Available for over a year

The Netherlands may be a small country, but its people are big – regularly topping the world’s tallest people list. Adult Dutch men average 1.85m (6 feet) and over the past 200 years the average has increased by around 20cm in height. Traditionally, this has been put down to a good diet and living conditions. But Gert Stulp from the University of Groningen now has another explanation – that natural selection may also be playing a part. (Image: A woman looking up at a tall person, Credit: Getty Images.)

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